Inbetween
by bitchinblackframedglasses
Summary: The finale to the Espionage Series...George Eads attempted to assassinate Jenny and failed. However, he did send her SOMEWHERE...but where? Will she ever be able to return?
1. Inbetween

_InBetween, A Harry Potter Fanfiction, End of the Espionage Trilogy_

InBetween: a person or thing that is between two extremes, two contrasting conditions, etc.

**DEPARTMENT OF DANGEROUS MAGICAL WASTE DISPOSAL**

**ORDER OF TERMINATION**

THE BELOW ITEMS MUST BE DESTROYED BY 5/1/10

METAMORPHAGUS POTION- Sandy Wallace case, Department of Mysteries

UNKNOWN POTION- Sandy Wallace case, Department of Mysteries

TIME REVERSAL POTION- Sandy Wallace case, Department of Mysteries

UNKNOWN POTION- Sandy Wallace case, Department of Mysteries

INBETWEEN POTION- Sandy Wallace case, Department of Mysteries

ALL POTIONS MUST BE HANDLED WITH EXTRA CARE, CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE AND ARE UNDER UNKNOWN MAGICAL ORIGIN ALERTS

Jenny

"What do you mean, not safe?" I questioned, trying to sound harsh as the gypsy woman flew around her cottage, closing windows and drawing curtains. I stayed by the door, ready to run if she turned out to be crazy. Finally, she sat at a rickety table and made an impatient noise, beckoning me over. Cautiously, I sat across from her. She leaned across the table, studying me, and then, finally, spoke.

"My name is Sandy Wallace. When I was very young, I started experimenting with potions and the basics of magic. I had dementia, it runs in my family, and I must admit, I was crazy. I made potions of all kinds, most of them made from a random assortment of ingredients. I would sell these potions, and one of them killed someone. I died later in Azkaban. The Ministry seized all of my potions to keep another death from occurring. I think that you accidentally drank one of my potions…but it actually worked." She looked at me, waiting for me to talk as my mind whirled. The first thing out of my mouth was a bitter laugh.

"It was no accident. It was a hate crime. I was on trial for murdering Death Eaters to try to keep Voldemort from winning the war. Normally, I guess I'd be a hero, but instead, since I'm a Muggle and a werewolf," Wallace cringed away, "I was taken to court. A witness for the prosecution who worked for the Ministry too snuck into my hospital room when I was drugged and forced that potion on me. Now…what does it do, and how do I get back? It's urgent." I insisted, standing up and leaning on the table as the woman watched me again, this time with recognition. Instead of answering, she got up and started pushing things around, muttering under her breath. "Hey," I snapped, but she didn't look up. I watched her, pissed off but unsure about what to do about it. Finally, she grabbed a bag and sprinkled what looked like green glitter on her arm then pressed three fingers into it. A second later, there was a knock on the door. The gypsy lady strode hurriedly over and opened it, ushering a old and tall wizard inside. I backed up on instinct as the old man looked at me, his head slightly cocked to the side. He had a long beard that looked like it went to his knees.

"This is-" the woman started, but the man cut her off.

"Jennifer Lillian Quinty." He said gently, inspecting me with shockingly beautiful blue eyes from beneath half moon spectacles. "We know who you are only because we have been watching you ever since you entered the wizarding world and changed the fate of the war. We are on your side." He said calmly, stepping into the room, making me step back to retaliate. He seemed incredibly familiar, but I couldn't place him. He stepped closer, and I bumped into the rickety table, out of space to back away from him.

"Who are you?" I asked flatly, treating him automatically as if he were Kingsley. He sighed, and a flash of grief entered his eyes.

"You have been through so much, and for that, I am sorry. I am Albus Dumbledore." I couldn't help it, I gasped, watching him now no longer with fear, but with curiosity. "There is no need to explain or justify yourself to us, we know all about what has happened. However, we need to tell you deeply important information." He stepped closer yet, until we were both in the light. "This is the inbetween, the realm between life and death. Until now, it has only been for people who are already dead, and have not moved on fully to the land of the dead. However, thanks to Sandy, you have crossed into this realm, although not by choice, if I am correct." My face darkened at his words, but I stopped leaning against the table and crossed my arms, standing up straight. "It is to our understanding that George Eads infiltrated the Healers at St. Mungo's and forced a experimental potion of Sandy's on you in an attempt to assassinate you."

"Yes," I said quieter than I had intended, absentmindedly rubbing the high collar around my neck. I could still remember the feel of his hands around it. It was Dumbledore's turn for his face to darken.

"I know that you are strong, and that the Wizarding World has not been kind to you. However, the longer you stay here, the harder it will be to return you to where you belong. I'm afraid it will be even more difficult with current events happening here."

"Current events?" I asked slowly.

"You may have helped the world of the living by killing Death Eaters, but none of them have crossed over, and neither has Voldemort. They are wreaking havoc here in this Middle Realm." Sandy said coolly, and I suddenly understood her comments about it not being safe here for me.

"Do you know how to send me back?" I asked, and Sandy frowned.

"I'm afraid Sandy will have to work on that. However, it is not safe for you to stay here. You'll have to come with me. Already, someone might have sensed your arrival. Take my arm." He held out his arm to me, but I hesitated. "I will take you to the Order here, where your family is." He elaborated, and I stared at him in shock.

"_What?"_ I whispered, and he looked at me with eyes loaded with pity. For once, it didn't bother me.

"Come," he held out his arm closer to mine, and I slowly hooked my arm through his. He sprinkled more of the glittery green powder on his arm, and pressed a complicated finger pattern into the dust. I blinked, and suddenly, I was standing on a giant mass of roots in front of a massive oak tree. Dumbledore placed his hand upon the trunk and after a second, his hand passed through. Before I could object, he pulled me along, through the trunk into a surprisingly spacious hallway. I could hear footsteps on stairs, and when I looked up, a spiral staircase seemed to ascend upwards for miles. Doors coated the walls. "This is the Order that works in the Middle Realm to protect innocents killed and to maintain the peaceful balance here." Again, he pulled me along, down the corridor and through a shockingly purple doorway that led to a large drawing room. Far in the back of the room was a knot of people at a hearth, talking quietly. As the door closed, one of them looked up.

Hestia Jones looked lovely. Her shoulder length curly brown hair seemed to shine in no light at all. There wasn't a mark on her body, and her face was glowing with health. She looked at me a moment, and her companions looked up, following her gaze. "Jenny?" Asked a familiar voice, and I looked slightly to the right. Fred had stepped around a hook-nosed man with shoulder length black hair to see who was here. "Holy shit, Jenny!" He broke into a jog to cross the room and embraced me. After a second, I returned the hug, filling with emotion. Fred looked better than ever, full of life and laughter. He pulled back to look at me. "How did you die?" He asked me, and I was saved from answering by Dumbledore.

"Jenny isn't here to stay, she's not dead. If everyone would sit down, I'll explain as fast as possible." Instantly, everyone moved towards the long board table, and I let Fred pull me over to a chair and sit me down. "We all know Sandy Wallace. One of her potions was stolen and forced onto Jenny in a hate crime. It actually worked and brought her here." I looked down, but Fred took my hand and squeezed it. "Sandy is working on a cure to send her back, and we need to find how as soon as possible. The longer Jenny stays here, the more difficult it will be to send her back, and to keep her a secret."

"All of the Death Eaters are…angry about your assassinations." Hestia said from across from me, but she was smiling, somehow proud of what I had done.

"Should I go and assist Sandy?" The hook nosed man asked, rising from his seat. He also seemed vaguely familiar.

"Severus, you know that the Death Eaters, if they found out that you hadn't crossed over would come after you." Dumbledore said serenely, but his eyes turned hard. "We cannot risk losing you." He added, his eyes softening, and Severus sat back down, but I still couldn't place him. No one had mentioned him in the Order, like they had with Moody.

"We can't express how sorry we are about what has happened to you." A man with shaggy brown hair spoke up from at the bottom of the table. He too, seemed so familiar.

"Yes, it's cruel, how your path in the wizarding world was so harsh and demanding. We were all rooting for you during your trial." Dedalus said excitedly, twirling his hat in his hands. His words reminded me like a slap to the face. The Wizengamot had been deliberating…

"What was the verdict?" I asked quietly, and Fred got a huge grin on his face.

"You are innocent on all charges, m' lady." He joked, and suddenly, I couldn't stop laughing, full of relief. I was _free._

"Oh my god, I'm _free._ When I wake up, I can go home with Tonks and Lupin. I'm _free._" I gasped, and I was grinning like an idiot for the first time in almost a year. I kissed Fred on the cheek out of pure joy. I was _safe._ When I mentioned Lupin, the man with shaggy hair's face filled with sadness for a second before it vanished.

"Yes, the truth prevailed." Dumbledore smiled a little, but his eyes were still worried. "Now that you are safe, I will return to Sandy. We _must_ find a way to send you back." He stood up and left, and as the door closed, my happiness seemed to go with him. I was jerked back to reality as I felt a hand in my hair. Fred was peeking under my hair at where my ear had been. I swatted his hand away and pulled back my hair. He whistled under his breath, his eyes turning sad.

"Like George, then?" He asked, and my hair slipped out of my hands, silently falling back into place to hide the hole.

"Like George." I agreed quietly, and after a moment Hestia stood up and cleared her throat.

"Well, while you are here, you're going to have to know everyone. Shall I give you a tour of the place?" She sounded too cheerful, but I seized the opportunity.

"Oh, yes, please." I said quickly after shooting a glance at Fred. He smiled half-heartedly at me.

"Severus Snape," She gestured to the hook nosed man first, and we exchanged awkward nods. "Sirius Black," she pointed at the shaggy haired man all the way down at the end, and my stomach dropped for a second. "Alice and Frank Longbottom," she pointed to a couple who had been silent this whole time, but they waved warmly to me anyway.

"Where…where are my parents, Hestia?" I asked quietly, and her smile dropped instantly.

"Come on, I'll show you." She stood up, and after an awkward moment of goodbye's, led me from the room and down the large hallway and up at least six flights of stairs and to a rosy pink door. "I'll wait here. Go on in," She opened the door and ushered me inside. The room, like the larger room before, was entirely made of wood, considering we were inside a tree. I could here voices farther in, and when I picked out my dad's laugh, my knees went weak for a second. I followed the room and turned the corner. A man that looked shockingly like Harry was sitting next to my father on a couch facing me, and I recognized the back of my mom's head sitting next to a woman with red hair. My dad looked up, and his cup of tea slipped from his fingers and broke on the wooden floor.

"_Jenny?" _


	2. Gateway

Gateway

_And this doesn't feel_

_Much like a home_

_And I'm trying my best_

_To find my way back_

Jenny

My mom turned on the couch to look and froze. My dad rose slowly, then seemed to run out of energy. He suddenly dashed around the couch and swept me up, stroking my hair. His back shook as I threw my arms around him, trying to hug the life out of him. I couldn't help it, tears washed down my face as he set me down, looked at me, then hugged me again. I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in an effort to forever keep him with me. Somehow he passed me off to mom, who was trembling more than I was. "_Jenny…_god, what are you doing here?" She sobbed, and then I realized that they too thought I was dead.

"A hate crime." Hestia's voice rang out, and she easily explained everything in a few sentences as mom studied me, tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Oh, _Merlin,_" My mom swore, and hugged me again, rocking me, and I was surprised to hear her use the term.

"I hope they find out how to send you back soon. You were so brave, but you're in more danger here than ever before." Dad said, and I pulled out of mom's embrace to look at him.

"Wait, wait, wait…mom, dad—I've killed people, that's the reason why this realm place is so dangerous right now. All of this is my fault. I got angry and stupid and one thing led to another, they went after you and—"

"Jennifer, it's alright now. Yes, your mother and I weren't at all happy with you during that time, but none of that matters anymore. We couldn't protect you then, but now that we can, we need to send you home as soon as possible, for your own safety."

"Oh, it's just so good to see you again. You're lovelier than ever." Mom said, wiping the moisture from my face, smiling sadly. "It's such a pity that you've been so hurt." She swept back my hair to examine where the ear had been. After a moment more, she turned, and I was looking at the two other people that had been in the room, who were watching me with surprising fondness, as if they knew me. "Oh, of course, Jennifer, this is Lily and James Potter, Harry's parents." She introduced them, pulling me over to sit on the couch next to her. Lily smiled gently at me, and somehow I shook Mr. Potter's hand. I blinked and shook my head a second, trying to disperse my shock.

"Um, a pleasure." I finally managed to splutter.

"They were a great help to us when we first got here. Both of us lost our only child you know." Mom said matter-of-factly, then laughed. "Well, sort of. You are adopted, but still." She kissed the top of my head affectionately, but I turned my head to look at her.

"Wait, so you've seen everything I've been doing ever since you died? You were with me the whole time?" I asked, and her face actually turned angry, and I couldn't bear to look at dad.

"Oh, yes. We saw _everything._ If those Death Eaters weren't already dead, I would personally hunt them down and-" My dad started, but mom cleared her throat and he stopped. "We saw everything." He ended, his voice obviously strained to hide his true emotion.

"How?" I asked, finally turning to look at him, and his face brightened some, but it still remained hollowed. He reached into his breast pocket and produced a tiny mirror.

"When you actually die, you have a choice of receiving one of these mirrors. They will show you any person you desire. They are actually dangerous. Souls have wasted away in front of them, literally dying to try to get back home." Dad explained quietly, tucking the mirror away again.

"Is anyone else here from the family?" I asked, and mom shook her head.

"They all chose to move on. Everyone but Brian. He's still here." She said, and I felt my face pale further.

"You might as well go see him. We won't be selfish enough to keep you with us the short time you are here. Hestia will take you." Dad said knowingly, and I stood up fast.

"I have to apologize, I don't care if he understands why already. I'll be back. Mr. and Mrs. Potter…" I paused, wondering if I should say anything about Harry, but then turned and quickly left, Hestia catching up with me in the hallway as I stopped, unsure of where to go.

"This is insane." I murmured under my breath, rubbing my face as Hestia took us up more flights of stairs. "_Everyone_ is here, the one's I thought were gone forever. And everyone knows _everything _already." Hestia laughed at me, but it had an edge of sadness to it.

"It takes a while to get used to…but you've certainly got the whole place stirring."

"What do you mean?" I asked worriedly, and she laughed again, looking back at me cheerfully for a moment before resuming our hike up the stairs.

"Ever since your parents were brought here by Dumbledore, everyone who was ever in the Order has been following your story. You are a bit of a celebrity."

"I still don't understand. If they've seen me this whole time, why would they want to talk to me? They know all of my answers already." I said, and Hestia stopped a moment.

"The mirrors only show exactly what is happening. We don't know anything about emotion or the natural ability to sense things about others that you have by being alive. You can tell if someone is lying to you, but here, we only see that person as they say it in an unbiased way. We can make guesses, but you can tell us things that are closer to the truth." Hestia started climbing again. For a moment, I was silent, thinking about what she had said.

"And what was that green dust that everyone uses to call each other and then to Apparate?" I asked, and Hestia laughed again, but not in a patronizing way.

"That's like instant Floo Powder but without the ash, heat or fireplace. By using a special code that is read by your fingers, people can be called and can appear anywhere instantly. Which is good and dangerous. If any Death Eater knew the code for this place…we'd be in trouble."

"But I mean, no offense, but you're dead. They can't hurt you anymore, can they?" I asked, and Hestia turned and sat on the step, patting the space next to her, and I sensed a long story ahead.

"The Middle Realm is like a dream world, but like all dreams, there is good and bad, pleasant dreams and nightmares. No one has a wand anymore, that's true, but souls can still be twisted and dissected to fit other's needs. It's all about mental protection for me. For you, they can physically hurt you here because your soul is still alive in your body. That's why you need protecting."

"One more question…why is it that the longer I stay here; the harder it will be to send me back?"

"Over time, the magic here will start to call your soul here as well. If you stay here to long, you actually will die, and you and your soul will be reunited. At least, that's Dumbledore's guess…and as we all know, his guesses are usually pretty close if not dead on." Hestia helped me up and we climbed a few more flights of stairs in silence.

"And Hestia? I'm sorry…about Malfoy Manor. About Kingsley, about everything. It's my fault that you died." She turned and smoothed my hair for a second, smiling, but her eyes were full of nothing but sadness.

"It's not your fault that Dedalus and I were caught. Kingsley ambushed you, it wasn't your fault that you were captured either. What's done is done." She gestured towards a stark white door, and I thanked her and entered. The room reminded me instantly of the old karate studio, it was overly air-conditioned and sparse when it came to furniture. With his back to me, Brian was kickboxing a punching bag, and I could tell that he was upset about something by the intensity of his kicks. I walked closer, until I was to the right of him, watching his face. It was stormy, and when I moved, he whirled, and I barely got my forearm up in time to block a high kick to the face. As I lowered my arm, Brian came back into view, his face frozen.

"Hey," I said quietly, then ducked as he went to kick me again, hastily backing up as he kicked upward again. I quickly jumped as he tried to swipe my legs out from under me and was forced to flip to a few feet away as he deliberately tried to punch me in the face. "Brian, what—" I ducked again, then was forced to block as he aimed an excellent shot for my ribs. His leg shot out and kicked me hard in the thigh, making me gasp then throw myself out of the way as he continued to try to hit me in the face. "Brian!" I panted, then rolled to the side as he went to chop at my neck. "_Brian!"_ I shouted, finally leaping up and tackling him to the ground. For a moment, we wrestled bitterly, and with some effort, I finally pinned him, legs holding his arms tight to his sides, my hands on his chest, keeping him down. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he stared at me, and for a moment, I had to take him in. The gap between his two front teeth was still there, and it was more adorable than ever. His hair was slightly curled at the edges from the heat of his kickboxing, and he was lightly sweaty. "Brian, listen-" We fought for a second, but I kept him down. "Brian, I'm not dead, alright? Some asshole for the prosecution forced me to drink this potion, it brought me here, and I'm trying to get back home. But I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry that while you were gone, I fell in love with Draco. I'm sorry that when I got you back, I didn't know what to do, and I was too stupid not to explain everything to you. I'm sorry that at the battle…that I wasn't quick enough." He was frozen again, watching me with a tortured expression. I felt myself relax my hold automatically, and within seconds, he wiggled out and flipped me over, pinning me the same way.

"Do you have any idea how I felt when I walked into your house, into your kitchen?" He asked curtly, glaring down at me. "Do you know what it was like to have to wait day in and day out for news of you? To be a suspect in your kidnapping, your possible murder?"

"You were a _suspect-"_ I gasped, but he pressed a hand to my mouth, stopping me.

"And can you _possibly_ imagine what it felt like to stare at your grave? To think for a second that you were going to kill me? To watch you get farther away from me and closer to _him?_" He snarled the last word and I felt tears prick at my eyes, but he didn't relinquish his hold, only withdrew his hand quickly from my mouth as tears touched his skin. I closed my eyes as he said, "Do you know what it was like to lose you?" I didn't dare open my eyes, I couldn't look at his face.

"I know what it was like to wonder about your safety, to wonder if you were dead, to see you scared of me, to see that you were hurt because of me. I know what it's like to have to take you with me, to have to introduce you to strangers and a strange world. I know what it's like to watch you die right in front of me." I choked the last sentence, but Brian still didn't get up, and I knew that he was probably watching me. "I was only a second to late," I whispered, the scene playing behind my closed lids.

"Look at me," Brian said hoarsely, then he shook me. "Look at me!" He said with a hint of desperation, so I opened my eyes to find Brian looking at me with such a twisted expression that it hurt to look at him. "I couldn't not watch you. I had to watch in St. Mungo's…in the courtroom…you stood up for me, and it landed you in a position where you couldn't fight off that man." His voice turned mean as he mentioned Eads. "It's my fault that you're here."

"What? Brian, no," I protested. "I stood up for you because I love you. You couldn't have made me not stand up to Bollig. That was my own decision. And as for _Eads,_ when I make it back, there will be hell to pay. But, Brian, I'm sorry-" he shut me up again and I glared at him. He took a deep breath, obviously thinking of another rant.

"I don't want you to apologize," he said shortly. "I want you to get some freaking common sense before you get back to the world of the living. Cause' you're so-so _righteous _and desperate or something to make sure justice is upheld. You're always flying off on your whims without thinking about the consequences, and _dammit_ Jenny, I'm sick of it." Furious, I bit him, and he pulled his hand away like lightning, and in that moment, I bucked, then tackled him to the floor, pinning him again.

"Oh, yes, because I'm really going to make my decisions based off of what you want, Brian. Because I can read your mind all the way from 'the land of the living' and I'll go off of all of your whims and please you. I hate to break it to you, Brian, but you are dead, and I am alive, and nothing is going to change that." I hissed at him, holding him down as he tried to fight me off. "Why can't you just accept that I regret every bad decision I made with you and accept my apology?"

"Because I have _feelings_, Jenny, I'm not a robot like you," Brian spat, still trying to push me off and failing. "I know how to think with my heart, not just my head."

"_What do you think saved your ass from Kingsley?"_ I shouted. "If I hadn't been hunting Death Eaters, no one would have saved you! What do you think my tears are- a choice?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, you do think with your heart, but only with your own sappy feelings—" I slapped Brian, and I hardly recognized that I had until I felt the stinging in my hand. I stared at him in shock, ashamed that I had hit him. He looked just as surprised, and his arm tried to come up as a reflex to touch the spot. Then my anger at his comments returned, and I pushed down hard on his chest to push myself up, then I turned my back on him, walking away.

"Then I'm sorry I wasted so much of your time coming to apologize, next time I-" he jerked me back around by the wrist and before I knew it, his lips were pressed firmly to mine, his one hand still around my wrist, the other holding the side of my face, caressing it.


	3. For Always

For Always

_I close my eyes _

_and there in the shadows I see your light_

_You come to me out of my dreams across_

_the night_

Jenny

I stood there in shock for a moment, then I reacted solely on instinct—I wrapped my legs around his waist and took his head in my hands, kissing him like I had wanted to as a Muggle, back when things were easier, when I wasn't a werewolf and we were both just messing around in the karate studio. I broke away from his lips and started nibbling and kissing his ear, his neck, his shoulder, anything within reach. Brian played with my hair a minute, like he always used to before picking me up and setting me back on my feet. I went to kiss him, but he caught me.

"Jenny, stop." He said quietly, and instantly, I could tell that something was wrong. "Jenny…we can't. When you make it back home, I don't want you pining after someone you can't have. You said it yourself. I'm dead. You're alive." I held his gaze a moment before biting my lip and looking away. He was right, but I didn't want to accept it. We had been so perfect for each other, it was crazy. "And Jenny, I know you're sorry. I'm glad I got to see you. I think I can cross over now." He said, letting go of me but I seized him as if to hold him here.

"What? Cross over, what do you mean?"

"As in go to the land of the dead, Jenny. Be fully at peace." Brian said patiently. "All I wanted to do was resolve things with you and see that you were living a good life before I crossed over, that's the only reason why I stayed here. I know that you'll be alright when you get home, Draco will take care of you. And I've done more than resolve things with you, I've made it worse." Brian insisted quietly, but I was already shaking my head.

"Brian what are you talking about? You haven't made anything worse. Everything is fine." I said quickly, taking his hands but he shook his head, smiling. The gap in his teeth almost broke my heart.

"See Jenny, that's how I know that I've already done too much. It was wrong to kiss you, and yell at you, I'm sorry. Now you're going to want to stay with me, and it's not right anymore. It took me awhile to see it, but my time has passed with you. I guess fate had something else in store for me."

"Damn it, Brian," I swore, trying to think of a way to talk him out of this, even though I had the sinking feeling in my stomach that told me he was right. "Brian, won't you stay just awhile longer? Please?" I asked quietly, but he kissed my hands then wriggled out of their grasp, shaking his head.

"You'll see me again, Jenny." He promised close to me, by my ear, and then kissed my cheek. For some reason, it made me shiver and close my eyes automatically as there was suddenly a breeze swirling around us. As he pulled away, it felt like there was frost on my face. The coldness receded as quickly as it had come and my eyes flew open. I was standing alone in a plain wooden room. The karate studio had vanished along with Brian.

"Brian?" I whispered, then whirled on the spot, looking for him and seeing nothing but the empty room. "_Brian?"_ I shouted to the room, and the only response was a slight echo.

"Is everything alright?" Hestia asked from the doorway, but I didn't turn around, moving my hand to touch the spot on my face where he had kissed me. "Jenny, where's Brian?" She asked, stepping inside and coming over. When she touched me, I whirled around. Hestia backed off, looking concerned. I dropped my hand, my heart dropping like a stone. He really was gone now.

"He's gone," I croaked finally, and quickly snatched a tear off my face. "He said that he didn't need to stay anymore. Then he was gone." I barely whispered the last part, then I filled with anger. "That-" I struggled for words, "That-he…he that _jerk_ that _asshole_ yelled at me, kissed me, then said he had done 'enough damage' and then he had to go and cross over." I hissed, brushing past her and for the door. I had to get out of this stupid room.

"Jenny…Jenny, wait!" Hestia called, catching up to me just outside the door. "Jenny, some souls can't cross fully over right away because they have unfinished business. Brian was one of them. He was never happy, never smiling and always in pain. You must have healed him enough to let him be at peace." She insisted, a light hand on my arm, but I steadily glared across the space to the doors on the other side. They too were all sorts of different colors, some pastel, some shockingly bright. "Jenny, he's better off now." She said quietly. I looked at her a moment, then turned and walked away, back down all the stairs to the main hallway, stalking angrily towards the door. I had a sudden urge to talk to Lupin, but he wasn't here. He was where I was supposed to be, fully alive.

"I wouldn't do that," A voice said quietly as I went to open the door, making me whirl around, full of adrenaline. Sirius Black was lounging in a corner, and I had stalked right past him in my anger- I hadn't even noticed him.

"What's so wrong with wanting to be alone?" I hissed, hoping he'd back off, but instead, he un-crossed his legs and stood up straight.

"Nothing. But you can't leave here. You don't want the Death Eaters to find you or us." He said in an infuriatingly calm manner. For a wild second, I got that urge to hurt someone, and to hurt someone bad. It vanished as I remembered how Lupin had spoken of Sirius, as if he was a brother.

"He yelled at me, apologized, kissed me, then went and crossed over saying that he had hurt me enough." My words hung in the air making me feel embarrassed. Sirius raised an eyebrow but then looked deep in thought.

"You and I are far too alike, Jenny." He said, and I huffed in annoyance. Of course he would try to make some sort of a 'connection' to take my mind off of it.

"Oh really? How fascinating." I snapped, crossing my arms, my anger spiking as he chuckled.

"Both of us were tried for a crime we didn't commit. Only you actually got off."

"That wasn't justice that was luck and pity. Nobody wanted to see the memories the Aurors on my case played. That doesn't matter anymore anyway." I said tersely, and I silently thanked the gods when he didn't chuckle again, instead, his face darkened.

"I watched those." He said darkly, and I laughed bitterly.

"It seems like everyone here did, and everyone knows so much about me when I know _nothing_ about them! I feel like I don't even know my own parents anymore!"I almost shouted. Sirius sighed, re-crossing his legs and settling back into his corner.

"That's good. You've let go of that, it's not haunting over your life. Against all odds, you've created a niche for yourself."

"Damn it, I don't want a _niche_. I want to turn back time and have lived my life as a stupid ignorant Muggle. Then Brian never would have gotten his life torn apart because of me. I want him back, damn it." I kicked the door in my anger, actually denting it. After a second, I slid down the door and curled up in a ball, like I had in the attic.

"_Never_ wish for ignorance. You'll miss Brian but over time, it won't be as bad. Trust me, I would know." Sirius said quietly, and I didn't ask him to elaborate and he didn't.

"So you and Lupin were friends?" I asked after a long moment, and I heard him stiffen.

"More like brothers." He said finally.

"You, Mr. Potter, Lupin and Peter Pettigrew." I said slowly, and he inhaled sharply at the name. "He was there, at the Manor." I raised my head and stared down the hallway, memories coming to life in this strange place and playing like movies by the staircase. Peter had always been the one to bring us food, so I hadn't seen him very often, not until the very end, when he had a turn with me too, like all the Death Eaters had. "He was always the one to bring us food—when we got it." I snorted slightly in nostalgic humor and Sirius almost growled.

"I saw that too. We all did." He sounded strained, like my father had. I broke my gaze away from the ghostly memory and it vanished. I looked at Sirius. He reminded me so much of Lupin right now that it hurt. Somehow, when I had been angry at him, he had me confessing and feeling better, just like how Lupin would calm me down.

"What do you think?" I asked quietly, looking back down the hallway when his eyes returned to me. "Was it right to kill them for what they did?"

"I think so," Sirius said without hesitation, a bitter edge to his voice, but he still kept watching me. I looked at him, then rose back up. Even though I was tall, he was like Lupin, two feet taller than me.

"I hope so," I said, then walked away from him and the door, too confused to think about getting away. Instead, I retraced my steps back to the room where Brian had been, and slipped inside. The room was still plain, to my displeasure. I hadn't worked out or practiced in almost a month. When I dwelled particularly on the image of the punching bag, the room swam and resumed the way it had been, punching bag included. Curious, I stepped over and touched the bag, then punched it. Before I knew it, I was beating the shit out of it, kicking it, head-butting it, punching it—you name it. On a particularly fast turn, something flew out of my pocket and skidded across the floor. I curiously walked over and picked it up, then flipped it over. It was one of the tiny pocket mirrors that Dad had showed me, but this one was different. On the back, in tiny letters were the words, **Brian Schwenn.** I stared at the mirror, then flipped it over. For the moment, all it showed was my reflection, my hair pulled back in the usual braid, the missing ear, the pale face. I was still wearing the leggings and high collared shirt that Madam Pane had given me at the trial, plus the shoes that reminded me strongly of Keds. "Show me, show me Brian." I said hoarsely, and the mirror swirled to black. In a forced calm, I set down the mirror, then took off the shirt to be only in my tanktop and slipped out of my shoes. I wished for a mat, and the room gave me one. After a moment of deep breathing with my eyes closed, I was flipping, twisting, rolling and kicking, doing my best to kill some imaginary enemy without a name. Everywhere I turned I saw a hopeless case like Brian's, a person who I had screwed over and couldn't save. When there was suddenly a hand on my shoulder, I whirled around, hand raised to strike, but someone caught my wrist with a surprisingly firm grip right before it slashed at their neck. That someone was Fred. It took me a moment to register as my adrenaline raced, begging me for more of a fight.

"Jenny, it's alright," he said lowly, watching me carefully. After a moment, I swore and pulled my hand free wearily.

"I'm sorry, Fred," I mumbled, falling into a sitting position to put my shoes back on, avoiding looking at him and focused incredibly on the laces.

"Don't ever apologize for something you couldn't control in the first place. Now come on, Dumbledore is downstairs looking for you."


	4. Wolves At The Door

Wolves At The Door

_I'm catching rain in my open mouth_

_I used to smile till the day I fell down_

_I have no idea who the hell I've become_

_It's not who I was, it's not who I loved_

Jenny

Fred didn't say anything more as we descended downstairs to the ground floor in silence. He led the way back to the room with the bright purple door. Once inside, I could see that the room was full with more than 4 times the people that were in here the last time. Fred continued to lead the way until we stopped next to Dumbledore, whose eyes widened when he saw me. "Is something wrong?" I asked worriedly, and from behind Dumbledore, Fred gestured to his neck and shoulders. I looked down and swore under my breath. I forgot to put my long sleeved, high collared shirt back on, so my bites and scratches were on full display. The six puncture marks on my chest reminded me too much of Brian. Whispers started as I felt heat rise in my face.

"No, nothing is _wrong_," Dumbledore emphasized, and I looked at him skeptically, I couldn't help it. My scars had always scared others. "In fact, I'm glad that you are here. Sandy needs something of you."

"Sorry?" I asked, not understanding.

"She needs part of you. Something from you." He explained.

"Like what? Hair? Nails?" I asked my nose wrinkling at the idea. My nails were always stubby and short, and I wasn't thrilled about the idea of cutting my hair. I loved it too much. Dumbledore hesitated.

"Well, something more potent would be more effective." He said carefully, making me frown. It took me a moment to get what he was hinting at.

"You want blood." I didn't mean to say it so brusquely, but I couldn't help but express some displeasure. He sighed, looking old instead of his usual young personality.

"Yes," He sighed. "Blood would be perfectly adequate for this situation."

"Do I even _have _blood?" I asked without thinking, and he looked at me a moment, then at Snape, who looked just as baffled.

"I don't know," He said, looking at me. "She is less…vibrant then the rest of us because she is still alive…but…I don't know." He finished. I frowned, thinking about his 'less vibrant' comment. Did I really look that different?

"Well, I guess there is only one way to find out, isn't there?" I asked, but Dumbledore shook his head so fast, I actually rocked back on my heels.

"We also aren't sure what the effect this will have on your body." He said quickly.

"How much do you want to _take?_" I asked, looking from him to Snape, who seemed to be in on the plan. When neither answered, I pushed onward. "And are you even sure that this idea even has a shot at working out?"

"We can't be sure of anything. This has never happened before. Sandy's ideas exceed what we know about making potions, so we can't identify what each ingredient does in the potion." Snape said finally.

"Then what will help you understand?" I asked patiently, worried that he would say 'nothing', leaving me stuck here forever.

"Time. Which is something we don't have." Snape said, sounding frustrated.

"Then bring Sandy here." I said after a moment of trying not to panic. Things were worse off than I had imagined.

"I'm afraid we'll have to, although it will alert the Death Eaters to the fact that something is happening. They've suspected that Sandy has been one of our members for awhile, and her disappearance will only secure this belief." Dumbledore looked around the room. The people packed inside had been silent for most of our exchange. "Who would be willing to bring Sandy here? You might run into trouble." He said, but many hands went up anyway, and I felt strangely proud of the Order here, even if I knew next to nobody. "Excellent. Mad-Eye, could you possibly round up a few Aurors to escort Sandy and any supplies she needs back here?" I turned as I heard someone stepping out of the crowd. Mad-Eye looked nothing like everyone had described back home. He didn't have a staff, fake leg, or a limp. He didn't have an eye-missing either. But then I guessed that since he was dead, he regrew his missing bits somehow.

"Of course," he growled, and turned and started sorting back through the crowd, barking orders. I turned back to Dumbledore when he cleared his throat.

"And as for the matter of the blood, we have to proceed with caution. I don't want it to speed up the process of your soul coming here. That would be very counter productive, don't you think?" He said lightly, and I laughed, but Snape didn't.

"We want as much blood as possible, for experimenting you understand, and with as little pain and harm inflicted on your body as possible." He said flatly. "Come, we have a room set aside." He turned on his heel and strode away, leaving Dumbledore and I to follow.

"Ah, yes, Mrs. Potter will be with us to make sure that if we do run into trouble, she can patch you up." Dumbledore said serenely, looking straight ahead as he walked. As if called, she pulled up beside me and smiled gently again. At first, I didn't see the resemblance to Harry until I focused on her eyes.

"Both James and I are grateful for how you rescued Harry Ron and Hermione from Snatchers, and we are proud of you for so much more." She said, and I surprised myself by flushing. Usually I was cool in embarrassing situations.

"Thanks, Mrs. Potter." I said quietly, willing the heat in my face to disappear.

"Call me Lilly," she said, and we smiled at each other for a moment before walking through the door that Dumbledore held open. Inside was exactly like a hospital, with a cart full of medical looking equipment and a reclining hospital bed that made me balk at the sight of it.

"Here," Dumbledore said gently, and after a second, the bed turned into a comfy looking armchair. "Better?" He asked as I cautiously went over and sat down.

"Better." I said, relieved. Lilly came over and drew up the wooden stool next to me and rifled around in the cart for a minute before pulling out some vials, a butterfly needle, etc, just like a normal blood draw-as if I were a Muggle. "Oh, this won't be so bad." I said instantly upon seeing the normal Muggle supplies.

"Don't be so sure," Snape said, and I snorted.

"Don't be such a downer." I said lightly, watching Lilly swipe the area with antiseptic. I heard someone stiffen, and I assumed that it was Snape.

"Excuse me?" He asked, sounding like he was trying to sound dangerous. I looked up as Lilly messed with the vials and tubing. His face was furious.

"Don't be so pessimistic. There is a perfectly good chance that this turns out alright." I said lightly, trying not to laugh. The look on his face was hilarious. Well, to me, anyway.

"Going in," Lily said before he could get another word in, and I felt the usual prick that came with getting blood drawn, and for a moment, I was scared to look, just watching Snape with a blank expression before turning my head to look at the spot. Blood was flowing through the tubing into the first vial like all of the other times I had been to the doctor.

"See?" I asked after that breathless minute of waiting for something to happen. Blood continued to pool into the first vial and suddenly, I felt sick watching it. I looked away from it, waiting for it to pass, and when it didn't, I frowned.

"What's wrong?" Dumbledore asked almost instantly. I could feel his eyes on my face.

"I feel sick," I said after a moment, but it wasn't the nausea I would have expected, instead, I felt extremely light-headed and weak, like I was losing more blood than I actually was.

"Stop," Dumbledore said to Lilly, but I shook my head, sneaking a peak at the vial. It was only half full.

"That's not nearly enough and you know it," I breathed, and he hesitated, eyes flicking from me to the vial. "I'm fine," I insisted. Silence lapsed as Lily switched to another vial, handing the first one to Dumbledore, who took it with a strange expression.

"Look at her color," Snape suddenly snapped halfway through filling the second vial. I looked down in spite of myself and noticed that my arm looked brighter, more like Lily's skin next to mine. Only then could I see how..._flat_ my skin was in comparison to hers. It reminded me of a worn photograph compared to HD.

"Stop. Now." Dumbledore said quickly, and Lily pressed gauze to the spot and pulled out the needle. I bent my arm to apply pressure and the brightness in my skin died away along with the dizziness.

"What was that all about?" I asked, using my free hand to prop up my head, closing my eyes. I was suddenly exhausted.

"Your soul started to come here. Dumbledore, I knew this was a bad idea." Snape sounded pissed off again. I opened my eyes to glare at him.

"But you have what you need…so go tinker around with a cauldron and send me home." I snapped, now in a bad mood. He looked taken aback again, and Dumbledore chuckled.

"I think Draco's been right this whole time. You would be good in Slytherin." He chuckled again, then nodded to Lilly and departed. I sighed and closed my eyes again, rubbing my forehead with my one hand.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," I said, coming back to reality, looking up to find Snape looking at me strangely. I raised an eyebrow when he didn't say anything, then looked back down at my bent arm, slowly straightening it out and removing the gauze. After a short clean up later, all that remained was the tiny pinprick.

Draco

5/14/11

11:24p.m.

It had happened randomly, one second, she had been sleeping peacefully as always, the next second, her right arm was drenched in blood. The Healers had been frantic, they couldn't stop it, until finally, it stopped on its own. She hadn't even stirred for the whole thing, and the Healers had no explanation as to why and how it happened. "God, where are you Jenny, and what are you doing?" I asked her quietly as soon as we were alone. She had been free for four days already, and no progress had been made on waking her up. Our only satisfaction was that Eads had been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and was currently in prison while Bollig was being investigated for his involvement. The weird thing was that people actually cared about Jenny now, people we didn't even know. Almost everyday Lupin would go home and find his front porch full of owls from people offering their thoughts and condolences.

It made me angry. Jenny wasn't dead, and I knew she would make it out of this.


	5. Amaranth

Amaranth

_Caress the one, the Never-Fading rain in your heart_

_- the tears of snow-white sorrow_

_Caress the one, the hiding amaranth_

_In a land of the daybreak_

Jenny

When the weakness had faded, Lilly helped me stand. For some reason, Snape had stayed the whole time, watching us silently. "Thanks," I told her once I was steady, and she just smiled. I turned to leave, but Snape's voice stopped me.

"If you don't mind, I need to hear exactly what each moment felt like after drinking that potion. It will help Sandy and I identify what in her potion does what, so to speak." I turned back and sat, crossing my legs.

"Well, should we start now, or wait for Sandy?" I said in a business like fashion, and he blinked as if he expected me to fight him on it.

"I think we will start without. It's a long way up," he said, ignoring the confused look I shot to Lilly, who shrugged. I followed him out the door and then understood what he meant. He was walking up the stairs, and when I looked up, the tree seemed to go up for miles.

"Can't you just Apparate up there?" I asked, and he stopped on the stair and turned, looking almost pained.

"Yes, if you are comfortable." I raised an eyebrow and looked at Lilly, who walked past me with another shrug and started to go downstairs.

"I don't know why I wouldn't be," I said, hooking arms with him making him start in surprise. He looked at me with a shocked expression as I waited, then sighed when he wasn't Apparating. "Is there something wrong?" I asked, and he seemed to snap out of it.

"No, nothing." He said, and pulled out the green powder and in seconds, we were standing in front of a black door. I unhooked from Snape and peered over the railing. A dizzying drop stretched before me until I could see tiny dots that must be people moving far below. I looked up to see the red sky. We were literally at the top of the tree. "Is something wrong?" Snape said snidely without realizing it. I looked quickly away from the sky and brushed past him inside the room. The room reflected Snape exactly-dark. Cauldrons were bubbling everywhere, and large windows at the end of it took the smoke away, yet let in minimal light. "If you're done gawking, I have some questions for you." He said coldly, and I turned, frowning.

"I don't know why you hate people, especially the ones that show you actual kindness, but until I'm sent home, I don't give a shit about your problem with human contact. So stop it." I took a deep breath as his eyes bulged out of his head. "Now, what did you want to ask me?" I said politely again, plopping down on a rather uncomfortable straight backed chair. For a moment, he just spluttered at me, beyond words, when a huge bang erupted from far below, sending vibrations up through the tree. Glass vials fell over and shattered, and furniture moved across the floor. "What the hell-?" I gasped after the thundering stopped, and for a moment, there was only silence. Snape ignored my question and opened the door. I followed him out and we both peered over the railing. The tiny white people dots were swarming around towards the entrance, blocking a large group of gray dots. Snape swore under his breath and seized my upper arm, starting to pull me back into the room, when with a pop, Sandy appeared. There was a cut on her cheek, and she was pale, but other than that, she only looked scared.

"I don't know how, but Death Eaters followed us. We need to work fast. I was the last person to Apparate; Dumbledore has blocked any other Apparitions." She followed us in, and I pulled free from Snape as she shut the door and locked it.

"Wait, how long would it take them to get up here if they defeated the Order?" I asked as Snape and Sandy immediately moved over to the cauldrons. Sandy spread out all of the things she had brought along as Snape answered curtly.

"It depends if Voldemort is with them, or how quickly he gets here. Now sit down." He sounded impatient, so trying to resist giving him a dirty look, I sat next to Sandy, who was taking inventory of the things she had brought.

"Right, describe what it felt like, as soon as the potion was in you." She said distractedly, trying to put things in the right order. I tensed, I couldn't help it.

"It burned on the way down." I started wearily. "Everything was black, but then it turned, like, a green color." I gazed across the room, remembering only too well how it had felt.

"Continue," Sandy said after a mad scramble with Snape as they snatched things off of the walls and from around the room.

"Do you know what sunlight on water looks like? How it gets that warped pattern to it? It seemed like a pattern like that was on the green. And there was this whistling in my ears, almost like the wind. Then I was rolling over forest floor, and when I got up and looked around, I was a few yards away from Sandy's cottage."

"That's _it?_" Sandy asked, sounding panicked.

"Yes," I said, snapping out of my little trance to see Snape and Sandy looking at me, a whole pile of ingredients next to them and horror-filled expressions. "Anything?" I asked, and sat down when Sandy shook her head.

"You narrowed it down, but there are so many variables—it could have reacted with other medications you were on, there are thousands of different variations with the ingredients we have. It would take almost a year to test each one." They turned back to their work as I turned my gaze to the window, listening to the faint sounds from the ground floor of the fight that was going on for _me._ I was screwed and out of time. Snape and Sandy started lighting cauldrons, talking quietly, when it hit me.

"Peppermint," Dazed, I turned away from the window to see Snape and Sandy watching me. "There was this overwhelming minty scent everywhere, and just now I realized it smelled like peppermint."

"Are you sure? You're positive?" Sandy blurted out, her hand tightening on the rim of a cauldron. I nodded and she looked at Snape, then went back over to the pile of ingredients and started to measure.

"What? What's going on?" I asked when she didn't say anything more.

"There was one particular recipie out of the thousands we could have tried that would give off a peppermint like taste and smell once it was drunk. We might have found how to make the potion. We can then study that to find the antidote." Snape said hastily from behind a cauldron, prodding at the flames.

"How long will it take to make?" I asked after a moment.

"Too long," Sandy muttered as she brushed past me to get more supplies. For awhile, I just watched them work. Then I went and sat by the door, feeling strangely prickly again. Upon looking down, I saw that my skin was a more 'vibrant' shade as Snape had put it. Lovely.

"My skin is starting to change again. Not as fast," I assured them quickly as they looked up, "But still, it's changing." As the duo returned to a more frantic pace, I couldn't help but wish that I could see my family back home. And then, I realized that I could. I fished out the mirror from Brian (just thinking about him made sorrow pierce my chest) and took a deep breath. "Show me Draco," I whispered, and after a moment of swirling, I saw his lovely face. It was twisted, and a bottle of the Wolfsbane Potion was in his hand. Guilt made me drop the mirror. I had completely forgotten that for his first transformation, he wouldn't have me with him.

"Miss Quinty, I know you are somewhere in this tree," Voldemort's voice made me stand up so fast, my chair fell backwards. "This tree is now under my control. I am not hurting anyone, because all I want is you. Come out, or I will send my Death Eaters after you." Silence fell, and it was that silence that seemed to feed my fear.

"Hurry," I croaked to Sandy and Snape without turning around. "Please, hurry." They started up again, pouring over books and scrolls, talking furiously with each other. I started to pace in tiny circles around the mirror, my mind too blank to think straight. Hours passed, and I could hear the bangs and voices of the Death Eaters getting closer. They were checking every room, and their search would lead them straight to me. They started to get too close, so I strode over to Sandy and Snape with an idea. "I take it you need more time," I said lightly, and they both looked at me like I was crazy.

"Yes, we need more time," Sandy said, sounding defeated, then watched me with a strange expression as I walked over to a wall and willed the room to make me a dungeon. "What are you doing?" She asked as the door appeared, and I stepped inside, then locked the door from around the bars and threw the keys in their direction.

"Buying time. Sandy, you were an assistant to Snape. Snape, you broke in here first trying to get to me, to bring me to Voldemort. _Stick with the plan._" I hissed as they both went to argue. Then I turned and walked to the farthest, darkest corner and curled up in my ball of misery.

"Jennifer, I can't do that," Sandy said, sounding torn.

"_Yes you can._ It will buy you both time to figure out a potion. You know he won't kill me as soon as he sees me. Use that time to make a cure and send me home." I insisted without looking up. "Now, Snape, walk out that door and signal the Death Eaters. _Do it._" I actually snarled when he went to object. After a long moment of silence, he straightened his dark robes and went over to the door, unlocked it, then strode out onto the balcony. As he shouted to the Death Eaters, Sandy quickly scurried over and handed me Brian's mirror. Then she went back to looking busy as footsteps pounded up the stairs.

"Severus?" I heard Dolohov ask in surprise.

"Yes, obviously." Snape said curtly. I silently praised him for being a good actor.

"How did you get here?" I heard Rodolphus ask, and Snape sighed, obviously impatient.

"Well, I _died_, and then I didn't cross over. Then I continued to convince that _fool_ Dumbledore into thinking that I was still on his side. Once here, I captured the girl you're looking for. She's in here." Snape pushed the door back open and led in Dolohov, Rodolphus and Goyle. Peeking up through my lashes, I saw Dolohov get a nasty grin on his face when he saw my blond head in the corner.

"Well, well, The Dark Lord will be pleased. Who's this?" He jerked his head towards Sandy, who looked up from her cauldron with an annoyed expression.

"My assistant." Snape said smoothly, pulling the key out from under his billowing black robes. "Now, luckily for you, she's drugged. You can just carry her out. I'll have to make more for you to keep her contained."

"Excellent, well done, Snape." Rodolphus said, sounding eager, as Snape unlocked the door, came over, and seized my forearm again, jerking me upright. I sagged against the wall, playing the part, and let my eyes flicker open. All three men were standing at the open door of the cell, with truly evil smiles on their faces.


	6. I Will Not Bow

I Will Not Bow

_I will not bow, I will not break_

_I will shut the world away_

_I will not fall, I will not fade_

_I will take your breath away_

Jenny

Goyle stalked into the cell and flipped me over his shoulder. I was thankful that my hair was down, it hid my face, letting me have a moment of pure terror as they walked out, Sandy and Snape following. It was a long, _long_ walk down. As we started to near the bottom, I heard high, cold laughter that I knew belonged to Voldemort. "You found her, I see." His voice was full of pleasure.

"Actually, we found Severus who had found her. He and his assistant drugged her and barricaded themselves in the top of the tree." Rodolphus said, sounding sour.

"Severus, my old friend," Voldemort said, "it has been too long. You shall be rewarded for carrying out your loyalty to me, even in death."

"Thank you, my Lord." Snape said with his usual expressionless voice.

"And here she is," Voldemort said softly, and I had to force myself to hold still as a large bony hand rested on my head, his fingers lightly stroking my hair.

"Don't touch her," I heard Fred snarl, and the Death Eaters laughed.

"I believe that is Kingsley's job," Rookwood said, and the Death Eaters roared with laughter as my blood turned to ice. I could hear his laugh mixed with the others, and it had haunted me for awhile now. A new hand seized my hair, and I knew it was Kingsley before he lifted my head to look at my face. I forced myself to hold perfectly still, eyes closed, even when his other hand cupped my cheek, then slapped it. I let my eyes flutter, and I lethargically lifted my head. With a snort, Kingsley slapped my head back down, and I stayed limp again, filling with silent anger as the Death Eaters laughed again.

"Enough," Voldemort said silkily, silencing the Death Eaters. "I think it's time we left this pathetic Order to pick up the pieces. If _any_ of you follow or try to stop us..." Voldemort let the threat hang, and then I heard footsteps backing away as the Death Eaters backed out of the tree, leaving the Order members standing there. Once outside the tree, we Apparated. The new environment was cold, and smelled like decay. Any light I could see through my eyelids at the tree had vanished. "Goyle, follow me. The rest of you…make sure that the foolish members of the Order didn't follow us." Voldemort ordered, and we walked what seemed like a maze, until a door opened and we entered a room. "Put here there," Voldemort said, and I was flopped on a bed. "That will be all," he continued, and I heard Goyle leave. For a moment, there was only silence, and then the bed creaked down as Voldemort sat down next to me. Then his nimble, bony fingers were going through my hair again, and I heard his quiet start of surprise when he found my missing ear. I continued to silently pray that he wouldn't find my pulse. He still thought that I was dead. Once he found out that I wasn't…the physical abuse would come, and then I'd be stuck here forever.

For awhile, all he did was run his fingers through my hair, and that horrified, sick feeling didn't leave. He had been so _interested _in me last time we met. Had that expanded to something worse, could he possibly be that sick? I figured that I was forced to play along with Snape's lie, so I stirred sleepily, and I heard his quiet intake of breath, and his hands vanished from my hair. Slowly, I let my eyes drift open, and I blinked a few times, steeling myself to finally sit up. I continued faking my lethargic-ness and propped myself up first, pretending that I was made of spaghetti until I saw Voldemort out of the corner of my eye, and my head snapped around to look at him fully. He hadn't changed at all, even that damn _curiosity_ was still there. I sat up fast and backed away. I faked a wince and closed my eyes, feeling a soreness in my head that wasn't there. Falling sideways, I kept cradling my head, then actually flinched when his hand was on my head in an almost comforting gesture. By reflex, I went to smack him away, faking weakness, and one of his nasty hands caught my wrist. "Careful, Miss Quinty," he said quietly, and I opened my eyes to glare at him with real hate.

"Let go of me," I mumbled, still pretending as I let my gaze wander around the room when my eyelids 'fluttered'. There was only one door that I could see, and if I knew Death Eaters, Goyle was probably right outside it. Even if I did get past Voldemort and Goyle, I would have to find my way out and not run into any other Death Eaters. I tried to tug my wrist free, forcing my eyes back open to see him smiling, his eyes dancing with laughter. It was sickening.

"It's a pity that you died, Miss Quinty. You were quite an interesting Muggle. How did you die?" He asked with that same disturbing politeness that made me yank my wrist free and struggle upright again. Then I assumed the last pose I had always used around Death Eaters, him especially. I reformed into my stiff statue, gazing lifelessly across the dark room. I saw him frown out of the corner of my eye. "Whether you like it or not, Miss Quinty, you are mine now, and you will answer me. I will not be denied." I felt goosebumps raise on my arms as a shiver ran up my spine at his words. His slap came out of nowhere, making my head turn sharply. I inhaled slowly, then moved my head back to where it was, as if the slap never happened. He got up, and moved around until he was in front of me, then bent his knees slightly to look in my face as his eyes bored into mine. He put his hands on either side of my head, preparing to read my mind. After a second, he let go, looking surprised. Internally, I panicked. My heart plummeted fast as his fingers snaked up to my neck and felt for a pulse. His hand jerked away when my pulse beat against his fingertips. "Impossible," he whispered, staring at me. Then he got up and went to the door, wrenching it open. Goyle was waiting across the hall. "Fetch Severus," he hissed, and Goyle quickly set off, and I made a mental note as he went to the left.

"You called, my Lord?" Snape asked after kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes. Voldemort pointed sharply at me, but I kept staring straight ahead, as if I was in a trance.

"When you captured her, did you feel for a pulse?" He asked, and Snape raised an eyebrow at him.

"My Lord, she would not have one. She's dead." He said coolly, but Voldemort shook his head, beckoning him over.

"Feel," he said, his voice strained with excitement, "feel for a pulse." Snape hesitated, looking at him, but then lightly pressed his fingers on the side of my neck, and let his eyes widen in 'surprise' as he felt it. "You see!" Voldemort exclaimed, seeing the look on Snape's face.

"My Lord, how…?" Snape trailed off weakly, letting his hand drop.

"Yes…how…" Voldemort said to himself, and placed his hands back on either side of my head, reading my mind. Frantic, I thought as hard as I could about the potion, but nothing about Sandy. He stayed there for a while, and then his lips curved up into a smile. "Severus, tomorrow you and your assistant will examine Miss Quinty's memories and learn about a potion used to try to assassinate her. If you can discover how it was made…maybe we can return and travel between both domains." Voldemort placed his hands on my shoulders as he sat up, looking at Snape, who had caught on that somehow, he and Sandy were still safe.

"Of course, my Lord." Snape said, and with Voldemort's dismissal, he strode out, not looking back. The door shut behind him, and silence fell again.

"Well, well, Miss Quinty, you astound me again." Voldemort said quietly, walking around me as if I was an object on display in a museum. The one thing I longed for in life, you received on accident. It's only a pity that it makes you so…untouchable." He ran the back of his hand down my cheek, and I barely resisted the urge to shudder. His hands were bony and cold, like giant white spiders. His hand flipped over and traveled over my throat and over my front and stopped at the waist band of the leggings. His finger hooked under it, and I couldn't help it, I leapt up and tried to dance around him, but one of his arms caught my wrist and jerked me back around. As he stepped forward, I stepped back, my hand still prisoner in his between us. In a rush of movement, he pushed me backwards into a wall, forcing the hand he had up above my head. For a moment, we only stared at each other, him with curiosity and me with hate. "I want you to open up to me, Miss Quinty. Considering I no longer have a wand, this will be a bit more…hands on." He paused to seize my other wrist as I tried to punch him in the face. He held that one above me too. I tried to think as he leaned in by my neck. How long would he do this before he had Snape drug me for real? Thinking fast, I kneed him in the groin and darted around him for the door. I was almost there when a hand snaked around my foot and sent me crashing to the floor. I kicked hard with my free foot, and I heard Voldemort give a tiny 'oof' as it got him right in the chest.

Rolling over, I went to kick him right in the face when he launched himself up and tackled me down. Deciding to forgo my act, I took the heel of my hand and thrust upward right into his throat, seeing as he didn't have a nose. He choked and that gave me enough time to snake out from underneath him and swing my foot right into his face. Moving around him, I kicked him hard several times in the ribs. Then, I reached down and picked up his head. Just like I had done to Yaxley, I brought my knee up hard into his chin. I looked around then and pulled the sheet off of the bed, then fully started to strangle him. He wasn't going to cause any more harm to any more realms. He fought back though, and in one roll that unsteadied me, I ended up falling hard back into a desk with a loud bang. "My Lord?" I heard Goyle ask, and his footsteps moved to the door. When Voldemort only wheezed, he instantly dashed inside. Quickly, I jumped up and kicked high, getting him in the throat too. One more chop to the back of his neck, and he crumpled. I snuck out the door and quietly crept down the hallway, going left. After a maze of turns, I found myself in a _cavern._ When I looked up, I could see the sky. Looking around, I saw full length windows. Glancing behind me to make sure that no one was following me yet, I moved to the window and looked out. It was a dizzying drop leading straight down into an iron grey and writhing sea.

Shouts started up behind me, and I looked up. Death Eaters were charging out of the tunnel I had just come from. I bolted to the nearest tunnel and ran hard and fast, taking random turns to try and shake them off. The tunnels started to rise, making me run twice as fast to compensate for going uphill. After the tunnel leveled out, I quickly skidded to a stop. I was at a dead end except for more floor length windows and a heavy iron door with a huge lock on it. The glass was dark, and I couldn't see what was beyond it. Did I risk trying to punch through and possibly to my death? Hearing the Death Eaters getting closer, I punched my fist through and peeked. A dark forest awaited, and I could see even more Death Eaters on some kind of patrol. Suddenly, an eye peered back at me, making me leap back in shock. "Quinty," The man growled, and I instantly identified him as Kingsley. Without warning, he burst right through the glass and tackled me. His weight made me fall, and soon we were both careening down the hill in the tunnel, rolling out of control. Finally, the tunnel evened out again, and I rolled to a stop, bruised, bleeding, and out of breath.

With a groan, I rolled over to get up, when Kingsley's boot pressed down hard on my chest. He leaned over me, grinning, even though he was just as battered as I was. "Not so fast, Quinty," he growled, then his other boot came out of nowhere and hit me hard in the side of the head, instantly making me black out.


	7. Planet Hell

Planet Hell

_A dead world_

_A dark path_

_Not even crossroads to choose from_

_All the blood red carpets before me_

_Behold this fair creation of God_

Jenny

I woke up slowly. At first, I could have sworn that I was back at the Order, pretending to be prisoner. I was in a cell like that, except for the stone was darker and colder. The room outside of it, (as far as I could see) was even darker than Snape's room at the Order. After a listen, all I could hear was Snape and Sandy quietly arguing. Rolling onto my back, I felt dried blood crack on my face. Somehow, Snape heard me roll over and peeked into the cell, said something to Sandy, and then stepped inside. "Why the hell did you do that?" He hissed, pulling a rag and a vial full of green liquid out of his robes. He wet the rag hastily then started to dab at where Kingsley kicked me.

"Because I would have tried that anyway," I croaked, then swore excessively under my breath as I sat up, leaning against the wall. "Any progress on the potion?"

"None yet, but if you keep pulling shit like that, you'll never get out of here. Remember, _everything_ you do here has an effect on your body back home! Don't call your soul here any faster!" He angrily started to clean my cut again and I frowned. It sounded as if he actually cared. Hermione, Harry, and Ron had always said that he had been rather un-caring about others. Interesting.

"Oh, sod off," I groaned, then spit into a corner of the cell. I had a weird taste in my mouth; it was a bitterness I couldn't ignore. Snape looked furious again, so I spoke up before he could. "Was I given anything?" Snape's face changed drastically.

"The Dark Lord insisted that you would be healed as fast as possible. What have you done to him?" He asked, and I raised my eyebrows.

"What did _I_ do? Nothing. He was curious at Malfoy Manor…but now…he's just sick. I don't know why he's so _interested._" I couldn't help but shudder.

"You best be careful." Sandy said quietly, still keeping a look out for Death Eaters.

"I'll try my best," I said sarcastically, stretching over my legs as Snape stood up, stowing away the vial and the rag. "Just work on that potion." I sighed, leaning my head back against the cold wall.

Draco

5/23/11

6:21 a.m.

After yet another night in Jenny's room, we woke up to find her covered in bruises. It looked like her head had been bleeding, but the wound was already healed. It made me wonder…what was going on? Where was she, and who was hurting her?

I missed her. I missed Jenny a lot. After the trial, I had been looking forward to spending all of my time with her. She had already missed my first full moon, and she had promised to be there. It was awkward between Lupin and I, especially because we were both missing her. He was tired all the time; between waiting to see if his son was going to be a werewolf and trying to revive Jenny, he was a wreck. Teddy, whenever he was here, would only take 'naps' with Jenny. We had convinced him that she was only napping all the time. It was always hard to watch him sleeping on her, because then it seemed like she was too.

I wasn't even satisfied when Bollig was fired. They couldn't prove that he was involved in any way, but there was enough pressure from the people to have him sacked. Eads was convicted on multiple charges and was rotting away in Azkaban, exactly where he should be. So things were hard. Everyone was trying to move on after the war, but it was hard when one of your own was still in the hospital. Order members would still pop by from time to time, and the golden trio (unfortunately) was here often, but only because of Hermione. Hermione herself wasn't that bad, I'll admit, but Weasley and Potter were a nightmare. Even though it was now more than obvious that I was on their side, neither of them could man up and stop being gits, even when I did. It felt bad to leave, especially when they were there, but I still made Wolfsbane Potions for Lupin and I. Plus, I had started tinkering around with a potions kit and a list of the ingredients in the potion Jenny drank, trying to alter it to bring her home. The report that had come back on the Potion she had drunk could only identify a few ingredients, some of which I had never even heard of. I didn't know what I would achieve, if anything, but I had to try. Nobody else was. Williamson and Dawlish were investigating Bollig still, spurned on by their hate for him. It kept them from seeing what really needed to be solved: the mystery of this stupid potion.

Jenny

A short time later, several Death Eaters came into Snape's quarters and brought me back to Voldemort. I was pleased to see that even he still had bruises from what I had done. He waved the Death Eaters over to a table, and in a movement that unsteadied me, they picked me up all at once and put me on it. Against my better judgment, I held still as they tied me down. It reminded me horribly of the hospital and Eads, but this time, there was no end in sight. The Death Eaters left on Voldemort's command, and silence blossomed and spread through the room like a sickness-it was heavy and hot. I couldn't see where Voldemort was, or what he was doing. When his hand was suddenly on my head, I flinched, making him chuckle softly. "That was impressive…your little stunt." He started, circling around the table. I looked straight up-anywhere but directly at him. My gaze didn't waver when I felt him climb up on the table, on top of me, and his face was suddenly above mine. His eyes raked over my face, and I saw his face turn frustrated when I simply closed my eyes. I didn't have to look at him, he couldn't make me.

Abruptly, his lips were pressed to mine, and I gasped in surprise. He took that opportunity to stick his tongue in my mouth. For a second, all I did was lay there in shock, and then I bit down hard on his tongue, and didn't let go until he hit me. Then I spat his blood into his own face, trying not to shudder. It tasted disgusting and oddly sweet. He vanished, and for awhile, I had a few moments of peace. Sure, I was uncomfortable and a captive, but no one was bugging me, hitting me and of course, _kissing me._ I couldn't help but shudder. The feeling of his lips on mine was revolting. His were barely thick enough to be called lips, they were thin and slick. When I felt a rag on my face, I stiffened. I could tell he was back; he barely made a sound when he moved. He carefully wiped all the blood from my face as if I was his child and he was taking care of me.

"I want to hear you talk, Miss Quinty. Jennifer." It sounded like he was correcting himself. "Say something to me." When I obviously didn't, he put his hand on my thigh and started to rub it in tiny circles, getting uncomfortably close to my inner thigh. His hand started to move upward and I couldn't help myself.

"Don't touch me, you filthy prick." I said through clenched teeth, eyes closed. I could almost hear him smiling.

"More," He breathed, and I shuddered again. This was so sick and wrong and creepy…

Draco

5/23/11

12:16 a.m.

Later in the day, I went home for awhile, only for books from my father's extensive library and then back to the hospital. I was still trying to find out what my tiny list of ingredients did, and how they sent Jenny wherever she was. When I got there, I found that Lupin was asleep (thank goodness, that man seriously needed sleep) and three Healers standing around talking anxiously. "Is something wrong?" I said worriedly, setting down my books and taking off my cloak hurriedly at the looks on their faces.

"Well, yes and no. Come here," said one of them, and picked up Jenny's hand. At first I saw nothing wrong with it, until I saw a bruise about an inch thick going all the way around her wrist.

"What is that?" I asked, going to her other hand in a kind of horrified fascination.

"That's called a ligature mark, Mr. Malfoy." Madam Pane said among the group. I immediately felt a spark of irritation.

"Well, what _is_ it?" I pressed, and her face turned colder, if possible.

"A ligature mark is a bruise left from a tight restraint." The truth dawned on me, making my stomach twist.

"So somewhere else…she's been tied up?" I asked stupidly, looking quickly back down at her hand I was holding when Madam Pane nodded. I took a deep breath, thinking quickly. "Please, don't tell Lupin unless he notices and asks, alright? He's worried enough as it is." I said slowly, gently setting her hand back down, a new desire to bring her home flaring sharply. She nodded again after a moment, and beckoned her group of Healers out.

For a moment, I sat in silence before Lupin stirred, swore quietly, then sat up. "Anything happen while I was sleeping?" He asked. I knew that he was always worried about sleeping at the hospital lest he miss something; which, well, he did.

"You haven't missed a thing," I said quietly, putting my hand over Jenny's, discreetly hiding the bruise. Thankfully, Lupin was tired enough not to notice. Instead he went for a walk around St. Mungo's, trying to 'feel energized', as he called it. As soon as he left, I devoted my attention to Jenny.

I stared at her. I got a nasty feeling that wherever she was; she needed help, and fast.


	8. Derailed

Derailed

_Derailed, I'm afraid I failed to keep you by my side._

_The mistakes we made will keep us drifting farther apart._

_What a way to go out..._

Jenny

"What do you want me to say?" I asked bitterly, keeping my voice icy. His hand vanished from my thigh.

"Tell me your secrets. You have great potential, Jennifer. I believe that you deserve a category all your own. You are not a Muggle, not to me, but you aren't a witch either. You're _different_ then the rest. So tell me your secrets, Jennifer, for you are inbetween the two categories known to wizards."

"I don't have any secrets." I heard myself say, and he chuckled.

"We all have secrets." He whispered, and I felt my teeth clench.

"Fine. I have a penis." I snapped, feeling oddly uncaring. Voldemort was silent, however, so on our non-existent scoreboard, I gave myself a point.

"No, no…something real. Something deep. I want a conversation." Voldemort said, his long fingernails trailing down my arm. When I didn't say anything more, he moved away, when he came back, I could suddenly see my reflection in the cold steel of a knife blade above me. I heard him inhale to say something when there was a knock on the door. "Enter," Voldemort said calmly, with just a hint of irritation. The door opened, and I barely detected a fast intake of breath.

"I have made progress on the potion, my Lord." I heard Snape say, and I had to work hard to keep my face neutral. Anxiety was now spiking through me. Would this work? Could I go home, escape from here?

"What progress would that be, Severus?" Voldemort said, still not moving, so that meant he was probably watching me. Lovely.

"It appears to be the same as what I could decipher from her mind, my Lord. But she would have to try it on her to see if we are on the right track."

"You were instructed to make a potion to bring her soul here. You have constructed a potion that sent her here. I am displeased, Severus." Voldemort said, obviously impatient.

"It is the same concept, my Lord. If she is already here, all that would come here would be her soul."

"And why couldn't we just kill her, Severus?" Voldemort said quietly, bringing the knife down and putting it under my chin. There was a pause. I closed my eyes as the sharpness of the blade stung slightly on my skin, my pulse beating frantically beneath it.

"Because she would choose to move on fully, my Lord." Snape said calmly.

"You are right, of course. I wouldn't kill my Jennifer anyway," Voldemort said softly, bringing the sword lightly up around my jawline and away. I barely resisted shuddering. _His __**Jennifer?**_ I wasn't anybody's anything. "Very well, proceed-" A loud bang drowned out his voice and it shook the whole room. After a moment of silence, Death Eaters started shouting, but were drowned out as the whole room shook again. "It seems," Voldemort said, his voice filling with cold fury, "that the Order decided to follow us after all. How disappointing." He suddenly bent back down to me, knife still in hand. He put his face right next to mine. "Don't worry, Jennifer. I'll be gone for awhile, just to kill some blood-traitors and fools…but then I'll return-" A huge blast suddenly rocked the room, and he was thrown backwards, his knife clattering to the ground. The whole room had filled with dust, and I saw people moving, but barely. Then a face appeared above me, and I could have laughed with relief.

"Fred!" I gasped, and he gave me a quick smile before stooping for the knife and starting to saw through the tough leather. I could feel Snape on the other side, working quickly. When I turned my head, I could see that he did have a flask-shaped object in his robe pocket, which lifted my spirits considerably.

"It's going to be alright now, Jenny. I promise." Fred said firmly, finishing his work on my leg, freeing it. He continued to work upwards as he spoke, his hands hurried but his voice calm. "Snape left a trail here. We just had to organize and prepare. Then we waited until the opportune moment. Even Dumbledore is here somewhere. But it's my job to make sure that you get out." His fingers freed my wrist, and then my arm. Then he touched my neck and stopped up short.

"What?" I asked as I saw him frown.

"It's locked." He said, his face contorting to anger. Snape swore.

"_What?_" I gasped, bringing a hand up and feeling along the leather strap. There was a chain in it, and it must go through the table, because I could also feel a tiny little lock on it. "That…" I struggled for words to sum up my disgust and failed. Snape vanished as Fred took a closer look at it. "Are you alright, is everyone alright at the Order?" I asked, and he shrugged, his face focused on the lock.

"Nobody was hurt when you left, but I can't speak for anyone now." His fingers shifted and grabbed my shoulder for support as the whole room rocked again.

"Here," Snape was back, and this time his cold fingers were light around my throat, and after a moment, I heard a tiny click. "He had the key on him," He explained as Fred quickly cut through the leather. I sat up fast and took a minute to dispel the black spots across my vision.

"Thank you both," I said gratefully as Fred literally lifted me off of the table and to the floor, where I stood on my own. Then we were off, Fred, for all acting purposes, led Snape at knife point past Death Eaters, to help keep up his 'Death Eater' identity. Unfortunately, when the Death Eaters saw me, they all tried to shift their fights after us. We ducked and sneaked through the fight, flat out running when we could. When we were somewhat alone, Fred skidded to a halt by one of the large windows that showed the writhing grey sea below it. Then, without warning, he yanked a good chunk of hair out of my head. I nearly kicked his ass then if he hadn't gone and thrown a piece of rubble through the window and draped my hair through the broken shards. "I never thought I'd say it, but thanks," I said, rubbing the spot on my head.

"Don't mention it," Fred said quickly as another blast rocked the walls, pulling me along. "We all took a page out of your book, you know. Got a hold of some Muggle weapons to help us along," he shouted over the noise, and I could help but smile. Then we skidded to a halt again, this time by the window I had punched a hole through. The door was completely obliterated, and we ran through the larger gap. Fred turned and pulled what looked like a bomb out from under his coat, and lit the fuse.

"What is that?" I asked, backing away. Snape, seeing what I did, backed away too, a hand unconsciously moving downward to rest on the vial in his pocket.

"Smoke bomb," Fred said nonchalantly. "It's the signal to let everyone inside know that you are out safe." He threw it down the shaft, and I heard the boom it made. "Now come on," he said, whipping out a bag and sprinkling the green dust on his arm.

"Oh, no, you aren't going anywhere," a voice I knew all too well hissed in my ear. Kingsley suddenly sprung up behind me, wrapping a firm arm around my neck, and I could feel the sharp point of a knife in my hair. Fred immediately raised his knife to Snape's neck. For a moment Kingsley watched them, and then laughed. "Kill Snape, then. He doesn't mean anything here." He laughed, tightening his grip, forcing me to stand on my tippy-toes with a gasp, trying to breathe. He chuckled, petting my hair with the flat blade of the knife. "Don't worry, Quinty. I won't kill you. That's the right of the Dark Lord." As he said it, I snapped somewhere deep inside. I stomped down _hard_ on his instep as simultaneously I jammed my elbow into his gut. With a whoosh of air, he let go. I turned on the spot, and brought down my hand hard on the back of his neck, then kneed him in the groin. With a tiny whine, he fell over. Lastly, I picked up his head and smashed my knee into his jaw.

"Never touch me again." I said quietly by his ear, then turned back to Fred and Snape, both watching me with slightly scared expressions. Fred had the glitter on his arm, so I looped my arm through his, and Snape rested a light hand on my shoulder. "Let's go," I said quietly, and Fred pressed a pattern into the dust. In the blink of an eye, we were suddenly in what appeared to be the same forest I had arrived in. But I was wrong. Sandy's cottage was nowhere in sight. Instead, there was just a tiny, dirty stump in a clearing full of dead growth. Fred stomped on the stump with his foot three times, and to my shock, it vanished. In its place was a nice wide hole with a _slide_ in it.

"Down you go," Fred said, and I slowly unhooked arms with him and sat on the edge of the hole. I heard the pop of more members appearing as I slid into the blackness. Randomly along the way there were a few colored lanterns, but other than that, there was only darkness. The slide spit me out and I rolled several times before sitting up. I was in a large dirt room, but it was brightly lit, with furniture and everything. As I blinked dirt out of my eyes, standing up, I heard a gasp, then someone was helping me up, brushing dirt off of me. As I rubbed the last bit of dirt away, I thought I was face to face with Harry for a second. With another blink, I finally recognized James Potter.

"You're safe now, Jenny. We're glad to have you back. Lily will be so happy…Lily!" He called, bringing me over to a couch while checking out my bruises with a frown. Fred and Snape came down the tunnel as Lily came in, saw me, and then rushed over, a bag in hand.

"Oh, _Jenny._ I'm so glad you escaped." She exclaimed, rummaging through the bag and pulling out a round jar. "I've been so worried, as have your parents. They went to help get you out, they'll be back. _Everyone's_ been worried, and ashamed that they captured you. Oh, I'm just so glad you're safe!" She stressed, hugging me tight, and I returned it, feeling a deep pang for Harry, wishing that he could have had his mother. "Here, this is a poultice of sorts; it will help ease the bruises." She said, picking up my hand and glaring at the ligature mark. With her free hand she scooped some of the ointment out and started to rub it in, noticing when I winced and lightened her touch.

"I can't thank all of you enough for what you've done for me." I said, looking up at Fred and Snape, both whom were only a few feet away.

"There is no need, Jenny, not after what you've done for everyone that's alive." Fred said, and another person whooshed down the slide, then another. I recognized Hestia Jones and Sirius Black before Snape spoke to me.

"Speaking of the living, I wasn't lying to Voldemort about the potion." Snape pulled out the flask, gently setting it down. "I sent Sandy away, and she has more of it. She's waiting for more instructions as to how to edit said potion."

"If you've got it wrong…what would the side-effects be?" I asked, then winced again as Lilly started on my arm with the balm. She apologized quietly as more wizards whizzed down the slide.

"A bad taste and possibly throwing up. And of course the regrets as to how it didn't work." Snape said with some humor, and it made me almost gaze at him in wonder. Who knew that this guy was so witty?

"Then I'll try it right now." I said, and he handed it to me. I uncorked it and gave it a sniff, pulling a face. "Well," I started, "it smells right, and it looks right. Let's give it a try," I raised the bottle to my lips and drank.


	9. Afterlife

Afterlife

_Like walking into a dream, so unlike what you've seen_

_so unsure but it seems, 'cause we've been waiting for you_

_Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste_

_of your afterlife here so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway_

Jenny

The foul crap slid down my throat, but almost instantly, I could tell something was wrong. I felt like I was drifting away, but the spinning wasn't coming. "It's working!" I heard someone say, and almost as if forced, my hand dropped the bottle and I barely heard it fall with a smash. Seconds after, my back heaved. My stomach rolled unplesantly.

"No, it's not. Here Jenny," Someone put a bucket in my hand and I promptly threw up into it, once, twice, three times. Gentle hands were holding back my hair and rubbing my back.

"Holy crap," I croaked, finally sitting up straight. "I thought it was going to work, but then there wasn't the spinning or the dark green with the sunlight-like pattern and…well, it was close," I finished rambling and sat back after spitting once more into the bucket. It worried me how I was no longer uncomfortable with blood and puke, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. I was more upset that the potion hadn't worked.

"You were disappearing, but then you came back." Lily said next to me, letting go of my hair. I sighed, then quickly stood up, careful to step around my lovely bucket of sick to hug my Mom, and then my Dad as they looked at me with such sad faces. Dad picked me up with the force of his hug, squeezing me tight. Snape strode out behind us as Dad set me down. He looked at me worriedly, but I just smiled half-heartedly and shrugged.

"Feeling alright, kiddo?" He asked with forced nonchalance, lightly tracing the bruise around my neck as mom squeezed my shoulder gently.

"A lot better now then I was. It's good to see you again." I stressed, putting a hand in my pocket, lightly fingering the mirror from Brian. I missed him more than I should. I knew that I still loved him, even though I would never see him again. It hurt. I re-met other Order members as they came down the slide, feeling safe again, even though Snape hadn't returned yet. I didn't know if I'd have another shot at getting home yet, and it was making me jittery. For a long time I sat still and listened to the other Order members converse and downright bash the Death Eaters. It was nice to hear, but my heart really wasn't in all the talk- even though I probably hated the Death Eaters most of all.

"Now Jenny," Sirius Black said sometime later as the lull in the conversation died. "We were wondering if we could ask a favor of you."

"Anything. Name it." I said instantly, and he smiled, but his eyes were sad.

"If we give you things to hold onto as you go back, will you give them to our loved ones?" It was just then that I noticed he was fingering something in his pocket.

"Of course." I said, and he pulled the object out of his pocket. It was a letter. It looked slightly worn, like it had been opened and closed again and again. I had a feeling that it hadn't been easy for Sirius to write it.

"Will you give this to Harry?" He asked, and I took it, folded back up as he had it, and slipped it into my pocket without another word, without question. For a moment, no one spoke, and then Fred cleared his throat, pulling something out of his robes. At first I thought it was a packet, but I was mistaken. It was another letter, but it was much larger than Sirius'. It was also slightly worn, as if Fred had written and re-written what he wanted to say. I felt my heart pinch. How could you possibly convey everything you wanted to say to your family in a letter?

"Give this to my family for me?" he said, and I took it silently, tucking it safely away. "It's so darn big, sorry about that." He added as I worked to stuff it away, and I shook my head.

"You have a big family." I replied quietly, finally securing it in my shirt. Lily and James looked at each other when I was done, then James dug around in his robes before producing a small gold and glass vial. I could tell instantly that the swirling substance inside was memories. But these memories looked different. They weren't the swirling white color I had always seen, these were like a rainbow, constantly spinning.

"For Harry, please." James said and I took it carefully and gently slid it into my pocket.

"Anything else?" I said after a moment to keep the pain out of my voice, looking around, and slowly everyone shook their heads. "Then I'll deliver these as soon as I can." I promised, trying to sound cheerful and carefree, but it really didn't work.

"I hope you get back soon, Jenny, and not just because I want you to give that to Harry." Lily said quietly, her brow had suddenly furrowed, and she was looking at me intently.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you're getting stronger. Your color, I mean." I she elaborated, resting a hand on my arm. When I looked down, I didn't see a particular difference, but I knew that Lily wouldn't lie.

Draco

5/26/11

2:30 p.m.

My research went on for quite a number of days, and I worked harder as Jenny got paler. I knew that she was dying, but I didn't want to accept it, _I wouldn't let that happen._ I didn't return anymore for books or supplies, I called a house-elf to do that. Granger hated it when I did it, for she was always here now with Potter and Weasley, but she was very interested in what I was doing. I was actually relieved to have her help. Her work ethic and brains would have put her in Ravenclaw if she hadn't been in Gryffindor, and she was surprisingly unlike her two friends. She helped a lot, when Weasley wasn't hanging off of her. He still didn't trust me, and neither did Potter. They were firm in their belief that I should be leaving it to the professionals. Too bad 'the professionals' weren't interested. Jenny's case was solved, the people responsible punished. They didn't care about the follow-up. So here we were- Granger and I pouring over books as Potter and Weasley talked in a corner, glaring at me from time to time. Lupin was sitting next to Jenny, almost dozing. "You know," Granger started, somewhat hesitantly, "we could go to Azkaban and _talk_ to Eads. Maybe the time he's spent in Azkaban will have…loosened his tongue." My hand tightened on a book I was holding for a second, but then gently set it down, already over my anger at Eads.

"As great as that would be…I doubt it." I said after mulling it over. "That man is foul, and the Ministry already questioned him. Honestly, he just picked up a bottle that looked dangerous and gave it to her." I continued quietly and with a slight bitterness. I returned to my book with a scowl. Over in his corner, Ron snorted.

"Well, you shot that idea down fast." He scoffed, and Hermione actually glared at him. Harry looked at his friend, unsure if he should back him up or be pissed, like I was. I slammed the book shut. Lupin jerked, but kept dozing, making me instantly feel bad for almost waking him up.

"If you feel differently, Weasley, maybe you should go and try it." I said as calmly as possible, thinking of what Jenny would say if I threw my book at him like I wanted to.

"Would you shut up, Ron?" Hermione hissed, stunning everyone further. "Lupin is trying to sleep and we are trying to work. Stop picking fights like a second year." Annoyed, she turned back to her book. After sitting there for a moment in shock, I reopened the book to my page. Ron scoffed something under his breath, turning back to Harry to resume their little chat. For awhile, we worked in silence, only occasionally saying something to each other. Lupin stirred, then sat up and stretched. I knew that he felt guilty for falling asleep again by the way he stood up to look around. When I heard him gasp, my stomach twisted as everyone looked up. What now?

"What is this?" Lupin asked, lifting one of her hands. The bruise had faded some, but was still there, a contrast against her palling skin. It made me sick to look at it. "Did any of you notice this before?" He lifted her other hand as I stood up, coming over for a closer look, even though I had already seen them.

"Is it a bruise?" I asked, my insides squirming, but my Malfoy-poker face and acting skills kicking in to hide it. I knew I had done the right thing- hiding them as long as I could, but now that Lupin found them, I almost felt worse.

"I'm going to ask Madam Pane." He said, and quickly left. I ran both hands through my hair, new anxiety hitting me and a strong urge to kick something. I had to get this potion right, and I had to get it done as soon as possible. Lupin returned with Madam Pane, who, mercifully, played her part perfectly.

"That's a ligature mark, Mr. Lupin. It's a bruise caused by a tight restraint." She said, her face clouding with new anger at the sight of it. Despite her hard appearance, I was sure that she had grown attached to Jenny.

"R-restraint?" Lupin spluttered. "But she hasn't been under the psychiatric treatment since…" He trailed off, the truth hitting him, making his face pale.

"Oh, Merlin," Hermione whimpered. I strode over to the books and seized one, feeling my eyebrows knit together with new hate for Eads, and self-hate for not protecting her.

"I'm bringing her home," I swore under my breath. "No matter what it takes."

"Good luck, Mr. Malfoy." Madam Pane said sincerely, before assuring Lupin that there was nothing he could do (again). She then left without another word.

"If Eads wasn't in prison," Harry threatened angrily, crossing his arms. "And only if Snape wasn't dead. I bet he'd whip up an antidote in five minutes." I picked up my pace, skimming page after page, writing down facts and properties of the drugs she had been under and then the known ingredients in the potion that took her away. I was going to keep my promise to her, and to myself. _Jenny wasn't going to die._


	10. The Howling

The Howling

_I feel them getting closer_

_Their howls are sending chills down my spine_

_And time is running out now_

_They're coming down the hills from behind_

Jenny

I settled into uneasy silence, leaning against my dad on the couch, my legs tucked under me. I couldn't feel my soul coming closer but I could watch my skin slowly getting brighter. All I was sure of was that I was running out of time, and that I missed Draco, Tonks, Lupin, Teddy- _everyone_ back home. I wanted to run free with Draco as wolves, I wanted to spend an afternoon splatter-painting with Hermione and then have dinner as a family with Lupin, Tonks and Teddy. The place where they should have been was like a gaping hole in my chest.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. Carefully digging around the items from Sirius, Fred and the Potters, I pulled out the mirror from Brian. I looked at his name on the back for a moment, and then flipped it open. For a moment, it was only a mirror, and my reflection was looking back at me. I looked different somehow, yet I hadn't changed at all. Then the mirror swiveled to the thing I wanted to see most-Draco. He was leaning against a wall, asleep. He looked exhausted, large purple-y circles were under his eyes, and his hair was messy- a sign to me that he had been running his hands through it in anxiety and frustration. He also looked thinner than the last time I had seen him. The image of him broke my heart. He had books all around him, but I couldn't see the titles. In the background were Harry, Hermione and Ron, talking quietly. Lupin was nowhere to be seen.

"He shouldn't be messing with that potion, Hermione, and you know it." Ron was saying, his arms crossed.

"I think he can at least try, seeing as nobody else from the Ministry is." Hermione shot back, and Harry shushed them.

"Draco and Lupin are both asleep, alright? That's a miracle in itself, so let's keep it that way." He said, glancing over at Draco. "And in all honesty, I think Draco is smarter than he looks." Harry admitted grudgingly.

I quickly closed the mirror with a tiny click. I couldn't watch anymore of Draco, I couldn't stand seeing him in that state when I couldn't do anything to comfort him. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then opened the mirror again. Tonks swam into view. She was tiredly bouncing Teddy on her hip as he cried, singing under her breath. Her hair was a limp mousy brown, and she looked as beaten as Draco had. Teddy also was duller, his hair slowly changing into different shades of brown as he whimpered and buried his head into Tonks' shoulder. I gasped and closed the mirror. That image was burning into my brain. I was making everyone unhappy and stressed—something I couldn't stand.

"Something wrong?" My dad asked quietly. I stared at the mirror a minute before putting it back into my pocket.

"They are all so unhappy," I said in quiet despair. "And I can't do anything."

"That mirror is a blessing and a curse." Dad said, putting an arm around me as I buried my head into his shoulder. "It shows you what you want, but it never lies."

"It's always hard to watch your loved ones from so far away." Lily added quietly, her hand clasped tightly with James'. "Right after we died…it was hard to watch everyone we loved coping with our deaths."

"And Peter Pettigrew's betrayal was even harder to watch than that. Harry should have never grown up the way he did." James said, his brows knitting in anger. It was hard not to call him Harry then, they were strikingly alike, not just in features, but in reactions as well.

"And of course, there is nothing you can do about it." Hestia spoke up quietly, her arms wrapped around her legs, her chin on her knees. She was sitting on the floor at Dedalus' feet. "It's a horrible feeling."

The silence resumed and stretched on and on until I had a new thought. "Mom, Dad," I started, raising my head to look at them. "Who were my biological parents?" To my surprise, my parents started having a silent argument with each other over my question, complete with glares, hand gestures and silent threats. Finally my mom deflated and my dad spoke.

"Your mother didn't want to tell you, but we think that overall it's best if you knew." He started, and I sat up straight, leaning over to see my mom better. She looked worried. She started picking at her nails, a habit she always had when she was anxious. "The father was never part of the adoption process, it was the mother who gave you to the adoption agency. Your mother only gave a first name—Lisa." He watched me closely as I slowly leaned back, absorbing the information. I found myself to be bitterly disappointed. I had wanted more, a description, a last name—and I wanted to know who the father was, and badly.

"And that name could easily be fake." I said quietly, and Mom sighed.

"This is why I didn't want you to know. It's so disappointing." She said, finally setting down her fluttering hands.

"No, it's alright." I insisted, standing up and stretching. "I think I'll take a walk," I added, ignoring the look on my parent's faces as I got up and strode out of the main room, walking down one of the random tunnels. I wandered aimlessly for awhile, peeking into some rooms and moving on. Finally, I leaned against the earthy wall halfway down a hallway and let my head fall back, closing my eyes. Now that I had a name, I couldn't stop wondering. What did this 'Lisa' look like? Was she blond, like me, or was that my father's gene? Or was her hair dyed a really ugly color? Was 'Lisa' pretty? What color were her eyes? Was she like me at all?

Maybe she was just a girl in her early twenties—a college student, perhaps, you got knocked up at a frat party with a man who said he loved her. Or maybe my father was an addict and she gave me to the adoption agency to give me a better life. The possibilities were endless. 'Lisa' might not have wanted kids at all. Maybe she contracted a fatal disease when I was a baby and didn't have any other family to give me to. "Don't let it get to you," said a voice. I slowly opened my eyes to find Sirius leaning casually against the wall across from me.

"Let what get to me?" I asked, playing stupid and he snorted.

"Your known biological parent." He elaborated. "If she gave you up, she must have had a damn good reason. I'll bet you were a cute baby." He said, and it made laugh for the first time in a long time.

"You never know. 'Lisa' could have been a whore whose condom broke one night." I said somewhat gloomily. Sirius sighed, coming over and sitting next to me.

"Did you know that my parents were psycho Death Eaters? You're lucky that you grew up the way you did." He said. When he saw the look on my face, he launched into his story. "My cousins lived with us- Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. I had one brother, his name was Regulus. Narcissa only did what she was told. Living in our house scared the shit out of her. Bellatrix was as batshit crazy as my parent's, so she fit right in. Regulus was the actor. He made everyone believe that he was just as crazy as my parents, but then he betrayed the Death Eaters and was killed. I ran away from home at sixteen." Sirius said quietly. **(I made up a lot of that, so go with it please.)**

"Wow," I said quietly. "Is that why Grimmauld Place is so creepy?" I asked, and he laughed.

"I could agree with that." He said with a chuckle. "So, like I said, forget about it. It could be a lot worse." I looked at him and he raised his eyebrows, as if to say, 'Am I right? Or am I right?'

"Thanks," I said quietly, and he stood up, beating the dirt out of his robes.

"No problem," he said easily, helping me up. "And I hate to quote Dumbledore, mainly because he never made much sense to me, but it's not good to dwell on dreams and the past."

"A strange moment of genius, Sirius," said Dumbledore, and I turned. Dumbledore was standing there, a gentle smile on his face. "But he's right, Jenny." When I didn't say anything, he continued. "I have good news. Snape has been working hard with Sandy, and they think that they have it right this time."

"Then lead the way, because I'm hopelessly lost here," I said, and he turned and walked away. Sirius walked next to me through the winding and twisting pathways of the Order's new headquarters. We reappeared in the main room shortly, thanks to Dumbledore's brisk pace. Snape and Sandy were waiting side-by-side, and Snape was holding another flask. Snape silently handed me the new potion, then conjured a bucket. "That's great for the confidence, Snape." I said, lightly nudging the bucket with my toe, and possibly a flit of a smile appeared on his face before it vanished.

"Just a precaution." He said quietly. I uncorked the potion and paused.

"I just wanted to thank you. And Sandy. And everyone, really. If it wasn't for you, I would be stuck here for a long, _long_ time." I emphasized the long as my parents got up and hugged me again. Then, of course, Lily hugged me, setting off a long train of hugs. "Ok, after all that, this better work," I teased Snape, who might have cracked a little more before assuming his normal face again, which was slight disinterest.

"Drink." Was all he said.

"Bye…I hope." I responded, then took a deep breath and drank.


	11. Awake

Awake

_So keep me awake to memorize you _

_Give us more time to feel this way_

_We can't stay like this forever_

_But I can have you next to me today_

Jenny

Right when the potion hit my stomach I lurched. This time I knew it was right, the spinning began. I felt the bottle fall from my fingers and my eyes closed, the spinning room full of faces vanished into the dark green scene I had seen before with the strange sunlit pattern across it. The taste of the potion in my mouth was disgusting. It was bubbling slightly, like a soda, but burned hard like alcohol. Once again, I was suspended in space like a puppet. The whistling was back in my ears, the minty scent almost drowning me. If time was passing, I didn't know it. This ride wasn't as smooth as the one that brought me to the Land Inbetween. Every once and awhile it felt like I was hitting a bump, and my body felt like it was trembling all over. Then stars exploded behind my eyes as it felt like something hard hit my head. The scene in front of me instantly went black and silent. The only scent was one of antiseptic. But then, just a slight bit of the icy minty-ness I had come to identify Draco with hit my nose, making my eyes shoot open.

I nearly laughed out loud with relief. I was back in St. Mungo's, the dim hospital room filling me with joy. Draco was still asleep slumped against the wall, but someone had added a blanket over him. When I looked to my side, Lupin was there, looking pale and drawn, but he was asleep too. I sat up, and I heard the letters on me crinkle slightly. I wasn't wearing a hospital gown, I was still in my slightly dirty and torn clothes from the realm. Turning my legs to the side, I got out of bed and nearly hit the floor, having to catch the edge of the bed and Lupin's chair to stay up. My legs were like spaghetti, but after lightly shaking them out, they started to hold their own. Lupin stirred and my heart froze, then nearly exploded with happiness. "Lupin," I tried to say, but my voice, almost gone from disuse, didn't project. Wondering how long I had been asleep, I tried again. "Lupin," I whispered, and his eyes shot open. He blinked at me stupidly for a second, then seized me in a hug, making me squeak in surprise. He was trembling, and I felt his tears on the side of my neck. Before I knew it, I was crying too, holding onto him like a life-raft. I don't know how long we just stood there, embracing each other. The place from where I had come was so stressful, but this hug erased all my stress, all my sadness.

"Jenny, oh _Merlin,_ Jenny-" he choked, setting me down, stroking my hair and cupping my face. Then he hugged me again, almost harder than before.

"I'm sorry, Lupin, I'm so sorry." I croaked, and he shushed me, squeezing my shoulders as he looked into my face, a smile lighting up his.

"It wasn't your fault," He managed before hugging me again, and he held me for a long time again, which was exactly what I had needed. I had missed my new father more than I had let myself believe. The patches in his robes had dozens of different kinds of textures, and he smelled slightly like coffee.

"God, I missed you," I said croakily, hastily swiping a tear from my face, and he looked surprised. He was going to say something before I heard a gasp. I turned and saw Draco was up, almost leaning on the wall for support at the sight of me. Before I knew what I was doing, I had crossed the room and nearly tackled him with my hug. The icy minty scent was still there, and it made my spirits soar until I started to cry again. Finally, I was back safe in his arms. "Draco, oh, God," I gasped into his shoulder. He pulled back and kissed me. When we broke apart his molten silver eyes were boring into mine.

"I thought you were going to die," He admitted finally, stroking my cheek with his thumb. I shook my head fiercely.

"Not when I had you to come back to." I insisted, and kissed him again. "I thought my heart was going to break I missed you so much," I whispered, and he looked at me in surprise, like Lupin had, then frowned and drew his fingertips lightly across my throat, on the bruise.

"You actually went somewhere, didn't you?" He asked quietly, and I nodded, looking back at Lupin, whose eyes looked like they were devouring the very sight of me. I suddenly realized with a shock that if I had died, it probably would have killed him. "Here, at least sit down, you're trembling." He guided me back to that damn hospital bed and I sat on the edge of it, actually glad to be off of my legs. Compared to how I had felt in the realm inbetween, I felt weak.

"I'm just so happy," I insisted weakly, wiping more tears off of my face.

"I'm going to get a Healer, just to make sure that you are truly alright." Lupin said, and left quickly. Draco sat next to me on the bed and we instantly held hands, and I kissed him on the cheek, resting my head on his shoulder.

"How long was I gone?" I asked him quietly, and he responded instantly, but the number made my heart almost stop in shock.

"Twenty days," he said, and I sat upright in horror.

"_Twenty days?" _I very nearly shouted, just as Madam Pane came into the room, followed closely by Lupin. "I was gone for twenty days?" I repeated, and Draco nodded, kissing my hand then letting it go as Madam Pane started to examine me.

"You were attacked the ninth of May, and today is the twenty-ninth." Lupin supplied quietly, and it blew my mind. It only seemed like four days, maybe five in the realms. The number tore at my heart some more. _Twenty days._ That was obscene.

"Well, you are perfectly healthy, minus the bruises and this very nasty mark on your head." Madam Pane said, stunned, her fingers lightly spreading my hair to reveal the section that Fred had ripped out, and I started laughing, I couldn't help it. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy as I laughed until I started crying again.

"I have a lot to tell you," I managed finally as Draco sat back up beside me, taking my hand again. "But first I need to see Tonks and Teddy. And I need to know everything that I missed, because something tells me I missed a lot." Lupin's face flickered, and then he nodded and left, presumably to go and get them. For just a moment, I pictured the Order members in the large dirt room in the realms, all looking into their mirrors and laughing. It warmed my heart as I looked at Draco, grinning like an idiot. He put his arm around me and I snuggled into him, hardly daring to believe that this was real.

"Well, you are innocent," Draco said, and I blinked, not understanding. Then it hit me. The trial seemed ages ago.

"That I know," I said, and Draco pulled away slightly to look at me, obviously confused.

"Like I said, I have a lot to tell you." I repeated, and Draco just shook his head in wonder. He went to reply but footsteps running down the hall cut him off. I gently untangled my self from him and stood up, ready for Tonks as she burst into the room and stopped. She then promptly burst into tears and hugged me. We rocked slightly back and forth as she cried on me. When she pulled away, she was smiling a watery smile. Her hair was perking back up to life, turning the disgustingly orange color of the tea Lupin and I drank all the time.

"Your home," was all she said, and I nodded, smiling. Tonks laughed, and it was the best sound in the world to my ears. Laughing she sat heavily in Lupin's vacated chair, then looked at something behind me. When I turned around, Lupin was in the doorway, Teddy in his arms, who was stretching his little arms out to me.

"Teddy!" I cried, running over and taking him in my arms. Teddy laughed and played with my hair as I hugged him mercilessly. He was my little brother, my little guy that I was supposed to protect. And he was so darn _cute._ His hair turned to that steely grey color that the ocean had been the last time we had been happy together and it broke my heart. He cuddled into me with a contented sigh. "So what have I missed?" I asked, slightly swaying with Teddy, and Lupin and Tonks looked at each other.

"Well, Eads, the man responsible was convicted and sent to Azkaban." Tonks started and I paled slightly, burying my face into Teddy's hair for a moment, trying not to shudder. "And since he was Bollig's witness, Bollig was questioned. They couldn't prove that he did anything, but he was fired." She continued quickly, and I looked up, a grin spreading over my face, I couldn't help it.

"Bollig was fired? Wow," I said, trying not to laugh. In my opinion, the fat bastard deserved what he got.

"Other than that, not much has happened. The wizarding world is just moving on after the war." Draco said, and something clicked in my brain, making me gasp.

"I missed your first werewolf transformation, didn't I?" I covered Teddy's ears and swore explosively under my breath. Draco frowned.

"It wasn't that bad." He said calmly, and I frowned back at him, uncovering Teddy's ears.

"I'm sure it wasn't." I said sarcastically, then looked down at Teddy, my frown deepening. "What about Teddy?" I asked quietly, and Lupin's face fell.

"Nothing yet," he said, his tone almost daring to be hopeful. "But we'll see." He paused for a moment, looking away before focusing back on me. "Now what is it that you have to tell us?"


	12. Not Alone

Not Alone

_baby, you're not alone_

'_cause you're here with me_

_and nothing's ever gonna bring us down_

'_cause nothing can keep me from loving you_

_and you know it's true_

_it don't matter what will come to be_

_our love is all we need to make it through_

Jenny

5/29/11

5:23 a.m.

"There's a lot to tell…should we call the Weasley's and the Order so that I only do this once?" I said, and Lupin frowned.

"Probably…let me send some owls. And for Merlin's sake sit down." He said nervously, obviously thinking that I was tired or something. I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Teddy squirmed so I sat him on my lap, his little fingers holding tight to both of my thumbs. I kissed the top of his head.

"He's starting to learn how to walk," Tonks said, and I looked up, a smile filling my face.

"Seriously?" I said, and she nodded, starting to smile too.

"Here," she said. I slid off the bed and stood him up, holding his hands yet to keep him steady. "Now let go," Tonks said, and I did. "Come here, Teddy. Come to mama," Tonks cooed, and step by wavering step, Teddy made it over there, falling into her lap.

"That's so great!" I exclaimed, and Teddy giggled. "Has he started to talk yet?"

"Just gurgles mostly, but he's trying, aren't you, Teddy?" Tonks asked him, blowing a raspberry on his head, making him laugh as Lupin came back in.

"Everyone is on their way. And I thought I told you to sit…" Lupin fussed, and I could help but laugh. I hadn't sat back down after starting Teddy on his walk, and was only leaning against the bed. I sat back on the edge.

"I'm honestly alright, _Dad._" I emphasized, and he actually started to blush, making me laugh harder. We lapsed into easy chatter until I had to carefully handle Hermione as she flew into the room in a mess of bushy hair and tears.

"God, I was so worried and-and-" She pulled back to look at me, smiling, then wiped her face free of tears.

"I'm fine. Madam Pane already cleared me." I assured her, accepting an awkward one-armed hug from Ron, and then one from Harry. His presence alerted me to the fact that I had a letter and a vial full of memories that I had to give to him, and the giant letter from Fred needed to go to the Weasley's.

"_Jennifer Lillian Quinty!"_ Mrs. Weasley called out, as if she had heard my thoughts about her, barging into the room and giving me a hug. A long line of Weasley's followed her, and then the rest of the Order members. After several more hugs, embraces and jokes, everyone settled down.

"Ok, Jenny, start from the beginning." Lupin said, so I did. I told them about how the potion tasted, what it felt like, and where I was dumped out. I went into detail about Sandy and what she had told me. When I got to the part about Dumbledore, everyone's faces dropped drastically. I was asked a few more questions, but then I continued. I described the tree in detail, with all of its brightly colored doors and the innumerable amount of floors. Then I stopped, I couldn't help it.

"Well, what was there?" Draco pressed, giving my hand a light squeeze.

"Everyone from the Order who died." I said quietly, and the room went so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. "The first people I met were Hestia Jones, the Longbottom's, Sirius Black-" Lupin nearly choked and Harry paled, "Mad Eye Moody, Severus Snape and…Fred. Fred was there." I had told myself that I wasn't going to cry, but I did. I had made the mistake of looking up, and I saw the Weasley's faces. I forced myself to continue, for their sakes. "And Hestia took me to my parents." I said, then took a deep breath, willing my eyes to stop crying. "They were with Harry's parents."

"_What?"_ Lupin spluttered as Harry turned white.

"They are friends with my parents there," I said. "They're not alone." I assured Harry, subconsciously feeling the vial in my pocket. "Then I went and saw Brian," I tried to say it with a straight face and failed. Just saying his name now hurt, and I saw Draco's face fall almost faster than mine. "He gave me this right before he moved on for good," I pulled the mirror out of my pocket, trying not think about the fight we had before he moved on. "It's what they use over there to keep an eye on their loved ones back here. That's why they knew everything when I got there. Here," I handed it to Lupin, the person closest to me, and he carefully took it as if it was going to explode. "Think of someone over there, and it will show them to you." I prompted him, and Lupin hesitated, then looked at the mirror. After a second, he dropped it in shock.

"They were there," Lupin croaked. "James and Lily, they were there—in the mirror-waving-" he scooped it back up and passed it to Harry. I had to look away at the look on his face when he saw his parents in the mirror, and then when the Weasley's passed it around, looking at Fred. When it made it back to me, I tucked it safely away.

"But this mirror is dangerous. If you look in it too much and for too long, you'll waste away." I emphasized, remembering what my dad had said about souls wasting away in front of it.

"Ok…then what happened?" Tonks said after taking a deep breath. I told them about my talk with Sirius, editing out the parts about Brian, and then went into detail about the blood draw.

"Well, that makes sense." Lupin said, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "One day your whole arm was suddenly drenched in blood. We had no idea why." He explained, and I slowly let out a breath. Dumbledore had been right; everything over there did affect my body here. That would certainly explain why I still had the bruises from the straps from Voldemort's table. I couldn't help but shudder as I thought about it. I took a moment to assemble my thoughts, and then continued. Describing the hasty plan Snape, Sandy and I made to get them more time was hard because I actually had to remember it. The looks on the Death Eater's faces made me shiver again as I told them. I looked into my lap and told them of Voldemort's curiosity, and how I had almost killed him, then my first escape attempt. Forcing myself not to feel, I told them about Voldemort's table in an expressionless voice, but hugged Draco back when he got up and embraced me. He took my hand when they explained how they could see the bruises on me back home, making me feel so guilty it hurt.

"But then the Order came," I quickly moved on, not wanting to dwell on Voldemort any longer. "And Fred helped me escape. Since the Death Eaters had found the Order's first hideout, we went to a new one. It was underground." I described the place in detail and told them about Snape's first attempt with the potion, and how it failed.

"If you don't want to continue, Jenny, we'd all understand," Hermione said when I didn't speak again, and I looked up quickly.

"No! What I'm about to tell you is the best part! Well, it's sad, but it's one of happiest moments I had there." I insisted, letting my hand fall down into my pocket again. "While Snape and Sandy were perfecting the potion, Sirius asked me for a favor, and of course I said I would. He, Harry's parent's and Fred wanted me to bring things back if the next attempt actually worked. Sirius gave me this," I carefully extracted the letter and handed it to Harry, who took it with a shaking hand.

"Did he look ok? Sirius, I mean. Was he happy?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Enough to tease me and give me really good advice more than once." I assured him, reaching into my shirt this time and with some difficulty, extracted the huge letter from Fred. "This is from Fred." I said, handing it to the Weasley's as Harry tore open his letter. His eyes almost instantly started to tear over as Mr. Weasley opened the letter and pulled out individual letters to each member of the family, and doled them out. I couldn't watch them cry, so I cringed into Draco's shoulder. A picture of Fred, Sirius and the Potter's pouring over their mirrors, watching us was burning into my brain. I didn't even know if it was real. Harry and the Weasley's read their letters in silence. Once they all looked back up, I ended my story. "And then I tried the updated potion and it worked." I finished, making a snap decision to give Harry his vial in private.

"Well, thank Merlin you're back." Hermione said gratefully.


	13. Destroyer

Destroyer

_What you gonna do_

_When it all comes_

_Through on your weary head_

_Is it so easy to pretend?_

_Like visions of Goya_

_The silent destroyer_

_They're raising your body from the ground_

Jenny

5/29/11

8:23 a.m.

After long talks with everyone, Lupin insisted that I go to bed again, even though I didn't want to. I also had deep suspicions that he didn't want me too either. He had seen me sleeping for almost a month; I didn't need anymore rest. So I fought him tooth and nail until we finally agreed that I had to at least sit up in bed. Draco snuck in with me, so I couldn't lie, I was comfortable. But I wasn't sleepy. The vial in my pocket was nagging at my consciousness constantly. I knew that Harry was still here, either in the hallway or just simply around. The vial wasn't mine to keep- and I might not get another chance for a long time to give it to him in private. "Hey Draco?" I whispered into the darkness, making up my mind.

"Yes?" He answered, his breath cool on my neck.

"I need to sneak out for, like, a minute. Maybe two." I said, and he was silent for a moment.

"I know this isn't my place to ask, but what for?" He asked.

"I have something else for Harry. But it's a bit more…precious than just a letter. I figured he'd want to get it in private. It's a vial full of memories from his parents." Surprisingly, Draco didn't make a sarcastic comment. He untangled himself from me, and I slipped out of the bed. "I'll be right back." I insisted, then quietly slipped out the door. Far down by the nurse's station, Lupin and Tonks were talking to the nurses. The Weasley's had gone home after reading their letters from Fred, and I didn't blame them. They needed time. No Order members were in sight. In fact, only the golden trio were milling around at the very end of the hallway. "Harry!" I hissed, and he got up, giving Ron and Hermione some excuse. Behind his back they started kissing as he came over.

"What are you doing? You should be sleep-resting." Harry amended, seeing my frown.

"I have something else to give you." I said, and carefully pulled the vial out, cradling it. It was a miracle that it had made it here unbroken. "These are memories from your parents. I just thought you'd want to get this in private." I rolled it into his palm, and he picked it up, examining it in the light. His face was carefully controlled, but his eyes were burning with new sadness.

"Thank you," He said quietly, transfixed by the memories. I nodded and slid back into the room, closing the door with barely a click. Then I darted back across the room and back into Draco's warm arms.

"Mission accomplished," I muttered as I cuddled into Draco, suddenly chilled.

Against my better judgment, I fell asleep in his arms, and actually slept away most of the morning. When I woke up, I was curled into Draco's chest, and he had a protective arm around me. Surprisingly, he was asleep too. For a moment I was confused until I remembered how tired he had looked in the mirror. Something told me that he hadn't been getting any sleep either, probably less sleep than even Lupin. Being as stealthy as possible, I slithered out of his hold and sat up on the end of the bed. Emmeline Vance, an Order member, was reading the Prophet next to us, but put it down as she heard me moving.

"Morning," I said, stretching.

"Afternoon, actually. But welcome back, anyway. Now, orders are that you are supposed to eat. They came from Madam Pane, not your parents, so you'll have to take up your argument with her," She added hastily, seeing my face as she got up, folding her paper. "I'll go get her." She left then, and I slipped back into Draco's arms, then started to kiss his chest. He stirred, so I blew a raspberry on the side of his neck, making him start. Swearing sleepily, he sat up, rubbing his face as I laughed at his expression. He tugged me up next to him.

"Well, good morning." He said casually, stretching as Madam Pane came in, followed by Emmeline.

"Good afternoon to both of you. Miss Quinty, you need to eat something. What would you like?" she said firmly.

"And don't say nothing," Tonks added, coming in. I frowned at her.

"Umm, do you have tacos?" I asked after a moment. For some reason, I had an overwhelming urge for something Mexican all of a sudden. Madam Pane looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh as she waved her wand. Four tacos appeared on a plate, still steaming. "Thanks," I said, and she nodded.

"But before you eat," she said as I reached for one, "To start finishing the investigation and your case, the Ministry wants you to have one last physical examination." I slid off the bed as she spoke. Within three minutes, she had ran all sorts of tests, but was ultimately satisfied. She left, saying something about paperwork, leaving me free to eat my tacos.

"Would you like to hear the agenda for today?" Tonks asked, and I nodded, licking cheese off of my finger. "Well, Dawlish and Williamson will take you down to the courtroom again to be formally cleared of all charges. After that, we have a surprise for you." Tonks said mysteriously, and when I pestered her, she wouldn't say anything more about it. "Oh, and I have to run to Diagon Alley…what do you want to wear?" she asked. I thought about it. I really hadn't worn wizarding clothes at all. I had refused to wear a hospital gown when I got back, so I was still in my worn clothes from the realm.

"Umm, jeans, a t-shirt and some robes?" I said, almost guessing. That was usually what Tonks wore, and it would work just fine for me.

"And trainers?" she asked, and I nodded. "Cool! I'm going to Diagon Alley then. Do you need anything else?" She asked, and I shook my head. Tonks bounced over, kissed my forehead, and then called her goodbyes as she swept out. While she was gone, Draco introduced me to Exploding Snap as Emmeline sat by the door, reading the Prophet. Draco won every single game until Tonks returned, but only because I jumped about a foot every time the cards exploded, toppling all of my remaining cards into the inferno. Tonks handed me a bag, and led me out of the room and down two more hallways. She opened a door that led to a bathroom, and, bless her, a shower. "Take your time," She said, and I gave her a hug before stepping inside. It was the best feeling in the world, that shower. The hospital provided really good smelling soap and shampoo. After washing off lots of tears, dirt and bad memories, I stepped out and got dressed. The robes felt weird, I wasn't going to lie. They reminded me of a bathrobe.

Then I spent a good twenty minutes combing my hair and debating if I should leave it up, down, or a different style. My missing ear looked really ugly and weird to me, but having my hair down was something I wasn't used to. Finally, I just left it down and checked the bag again. To my surprise, I found makeup in the bottom of it, something I hadn't been expecting. _What the hell,_ I thought, figuring it wouldn't hurt if I put some on. In the end, I only used dark blue eyeliner and some red-ish pink-ish lip gloss. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Hermione was waiting for me. "You look so much better," she said after a squeal and a hug.

"Thanks…Hermione?" I asked as we walked back to the room. I hadn't forgotten about her snogging Ron yesterday, and it had been pretty heated.

"Yeah?"

"I take it you and Ron are…together now?" I pressed, trying not to laugh at the thought. She flushed.

"Yes…Ron and I are together." She said proudly, the flush fading from her cheeks. I gave her a huge hug.

"That's great! That's really, really great, Hermione." I congratulated her, and she flushed again.

"Well, I'm sure you and Draco aren't that far behind." She said right as we reached the door in a quiet undertone, making me gasp and look at her in shock as she giggled, pushing the door open and me inside. Draco had obviously gone home, he now looked similar to how he had at the trial. He was still wearing high-collared shirts, but only because of the family name. The Malfoy's were perfect and untouchable, and it was part of his job to hold up their image. With a jolt, I remembered what Hermione said and realized it was part of my job too, now that Draco and I were dating. I suddenly felt very under-dressed, especially because Dawlish and Williamson were there too, and both of them were dressed for court.

"Ms. Quinty, it's good to see you up again." Dawlish said, and I couldn't help but smile. I felt clean and refreshed, ready to go to court for hopefully the last time.

"It's good to be up. Are we going now?" I questioned, and Williamson nodded, handing something to me. It was the wand Ollivander had made me.

"You can carry this now; technically you are a witch." He said, and I took it slowly. It felt odd in my hand, so I tucked it into my robes and let Draco take my hand as we left. He seemed tense, looking at Dawlish and Williamson's backs with unusual intensity. He seemed to notice it then, and tried to distract me.

"Your parents are meeting us there." He explained, giving my hand a light squeeze. "And you look beautiful," He added, and I felt an embarrassing smile and blush flood my cheeks. He was good at distracting me, that was for sure.

"Thanks," I said, and he Apparated me to the Ministry, giving me a kiss before we went our separate ways. Feeling nervous, I tried to assemble the signature cool calm and collected Malfoy look and failed. Thinking of Draco, I tried to relax as I pushed open the courtroom door and walked inside.


	14. The Power of Resolution

The Power of Resolution

_I've grown tired of the same old story._

_I think I'm ready for a change._

_If there's a higher power up there watching over me,_

_could you give me a sign today?_

_'Cause I've grown tired. I've grown tired._

_Now I'm ready for a change, a change..._

Jenny

5/29/11

9:05 a.m.

As soon as I walked in, I was nearly blinded by a sudden flashing of cameras. After blinking several times to clear my vision, I walked calmly the rest of the way to that damned chair and sat down, crossing my legs. The gold chains didn't bind me this time, and for that, I was grateful. Scanning the row above me, I found Madam Bones, the Minister, and I remembered some of the faces in the Wizengamot. "Jennifer Lillian Quinty." Madam Bones said after the reporters settled down. Their presence made me wonder if my family had left something out when they told me what I had missed. I was a month old in the news already, so why were they here? My mind flashed back to Draco's looks at Dawlish and Williamson, and it made me worried. "You're back, and looking healthy, I see. Hmm. Well, before we clear you, there are a few more questions that need to be answered." She said, and my insides squirmed. "George Eads," she said, and I couldn't help but lightly flinch. "was convicted and sent to Azkaban. He was a witness for Archibald Bollig, the Ministry's prosecutor. At the time, there was no evidence to prove if he or any of his other witnesses were involved in the assassination attempt. Now that you are no longer comatose, Richard Dawlish and Gregory Williamson will ask you questions on the assassination attempt on behalf of the Ministry of Magic."

"We'd like to call forward Archibald Bollig." Dawlish said, and I heard the satisfaction in his voice. I kept my poker face on as Bollig waddled over and sat down on the witness stand. He was still wearing a suit, but he didn't look as evil now. Maybe it was because he wasn't out for my blood. "Now, Jenny, I just want to review a little for you. You were under the influence from a lot of drugs, so you may not remember some things." Dawlish said, and I nodded, starting to frown. Did I really miss something important? Was someone else really in the room? All of this formality was making me doubt myself- especially because I really hadn't _tried_ to remember something that terrible. "When you returned from court on May 9th, you were given a strong sleeping potion and restrained. By order of the Ministry, no one was allowed in your room except for Healers. The only Healer authorized to give you medication was Madam Pane. Now…what do you remember?" He asked- the million dollar question.

"The medication was wearing off," I started, trying to think. The room was dark when the door opened and a man stepped inside." Closing my eyes I replayed the memory in my head. The door had opened, and I only saw one person come in, I was sure of it.

"Only _one _man?" Williamson asked, and I frowned, eyes still closed, but nodded. "What did he look like?" He continued, sounding slightly disappointed.

"He was tall with a bald head…he had a large bushy beard that was brown. He didn't wear glasses. He had bushy eyebrows and," I focused hard, feeling my brows knit together, "grey eyes. He was wearing all white, like a Healer."

"What did the man do once he came inside?" Dawlish asked, his voice barely floating above the memories I was lost in, trying to remember every detail.

"The lights got brighter. Halfway over to me he turned back to the door and cast two spells. One was _Muffilato_ but I can't remember the other one." I said with a frown, opening my eyes. Bollig was watching me with a strange look on his face. Our eyes met, and I looked away, trying to focus, keep a 'Malfoy-ish' regal appearance, and not freak out.

"That's alright, then what?" Dawlish pressed.

"The man came over." I said, closing my eyes again, trying to push through the sluggishness in my head in the memory. The whole thing just seemed so dark. "He said my name, and something about meeting me. Then he started laughing." I said, my voice surer but sharper as I started to remember things more clearly. "He tapped his face with his wand, and he changed into George Eads."

"Good, good…now tell me, Jenny, think really hard about what you could hear. Did you hear footsteps, other voices, anything like that?" Dawlish questioned, and I felt a prick of annoyance. It was like he was trying to convict Bollig…

"No," I said firmly. "The only other voice was me. I got a word out before he used _Silencio._" My eyes opened to find Dawlish and Williamson talking quietly to each other for a moment.

"Jenny, do you remember Dr. Flunders? The psychiatrist for the prosecution?" Williamson asked, and I nodded. How could I not? It was his comments that got me into this mess. "Did you hear or see him at all?" My annoyance spiked.

"I couldn't see or hear _anyone_ else in that room." I emphasized.

"Alright, then what happened?" Dawlish asked, giving up that point.

"He climbed on top of me and forced me to drink a potion he had with him." I said, unwillingly shivering slightly, my hand unintentionally rubbing my throat. I dropped it as I noticed Bollig watching me do it.

"Didn't you fight him?" Dawlish inquired, and I looked at him in disbelief.

"Of course I did. Well, I tried," I amended, correcting myself as I realized that I had been strapped down. "But the restraints made getting him away impossible." I forced myself to say calmly. _He's just trying to be thorough._ I told myself.

"Did you bite him?" He asked, and I thought about it, rubbing my forehead with one hand, as if to soothe away my irritation at him. His questions seemed ridiculously prying.

"I might have?" I almost guessed finally, exasperated. "I'm not sure though."

"Well, Jenny, let me fill in the holes for you." Dawlish said almost cheerfully, furthering my irritation. He was acting like an idiot. "Two nurses and Remus Lupin and Draco Malfoy both reported that they saw a man matching your description enter your hospital room alone, carrying a bottle. When was apprehended, he only had one injury on his thumb. You did bite him," he said, and I felt my face pale rapidly, and I quickly put my head in my hands, trying to think.

"Well, did I change him? When was the last full moon?" I asked frantically, trying to think and failing. Dawlish chuckled, further pushing my annoyance.

"No, no, no one was changed, Jenny. Relax." He said, then stroked his beard, assembling his thoughts. I felt my tension die and my posture relax. Even if Eads was a dick, I didn't want him to have to be a werewolf.

"Oh thank Merlin," I muttered, holding up my head with both hands.

"Now, Jenny, do you know what that potion was supposed to do?" He asked.

"Besides kill me?" I asked, looking up, and he frowned.

"Yes, besides kill you."

"Something about the Inbetween." I said dismissively, but Dawlish continued to push the point.

"It was supposed to take you to a magical realm inbetween our world and the dead. To our perspective, you simply went into a coma like state. But did you actually go there?" He asked. Out of the very corner of my eye, I saw Tonks, Lupin and Draco shaking their heads just a tiny bit, and I understood what this was all about. They had wanted to convict Bollig and get the real truth from me.

"I think I was dreaming. I don't think what I saw was real." I said firmly. Out of the corner of my eye, Tonks smiled a little, looking down. Lupin stopped shaking his head and Draco gave a tiny, tiny nod before going back to normal.

"Well, what did you see?" Williamson asked, and my mind thought fast.

"I was lost in a forest," I said, not entirely lying. "The sky was blood red, and I could have sworn the forest was alive. I think the medications I was on and that potion may have mixed and caused some side affects." I chuckled, but he didn't.

"Jennifer, this isn't funny. This potion didn't kill you instantly like it was supposed to, but slowly, with strange bruising and loss of blood. You still have the bruises, don't you?" He asked, and I shrugged, nodding. "Well, let's see them, please." I pushed back the sleeve of my robes and offered him my exposed wrist. The bruises were fading, thanks to Madam Pane, but they weren't entirely gone. "Very well…Ms. Quinty. Do you stand by your belief that _no one_ else was in your room when George Eads tried to assassinate you?" Dawlish repeated, sounding very put out.

"Yes." I said.

"Then by the power of the Wizengamot, Archibald Bollig and Dr. Flunders are cleared of any suspicions, and Jennifer Lillian Quinty is not guilty on all charges. You are free to go," Madam Bones said to me with a smile. I thanked her quietly with a nod, standing up. After awkwardly shaking Williamson and Dawlish's hands, Draco swept me up in a hug then gave me a kiss.

"That seemed pointless," I said in his ear, "although two Aurors look mighty disappointed that Bollig got off." Draco chuckled.

"They wanted to know desperately if that potion actually took you somewhere." He said in my ear, then let me go as I got quick hugs from Tonks and Lupin. Tonks had a car-seat over her arm, and Teddy was in it, watching everything with large eyes. I bent down and kissed him on the nose.

"I'm off, Teddy! Now I can spend all day with you!" I told him. He gurgled happily, and then he totally surprised me.

"'Enny!" He cried, wriggling with joy. "'Enny!"

I only stared at him a second in shock and joy before scooping him up and bouncing him on my hip, kissing his little head. He started giggling, his hair constantly turning. "He talked," I said stupidly, in a daze, as he kept giggling. Tonks and Lupin were beaming with pride, their hands clasped.

"Come on, Jenny, we have a surprise for you." Lupin said, taking my free hand.

"I'll see you soon," Draco said in my ear before kissing my cheek. I stole a quick peck on the lips before Lupin pulled me away. Draco Apparated, so I followed Lupin and Tonks out of the courtroom and out of the Ministry, holding Teddy on my hip. I Apparated with Tonks, and when we landed, she covered my eyes with her hand.

"What?" I complained.

"No peeking," She insisted, leading me gently by the shoulders. Teddy chirped, cuddling into my side as Tonks centered me the way she wanted. "Ready?" She asked, her voice rising in excitement.

"Yeah," I said, wondering what the surprise was. When she pulled her hand away, I gasped.


	15. Hand of Sorrow

Hand of Sorrow

_So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed_

_Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind?_

_So many years have passed, who are the noble and the wise?_

_Will all our sins be justified?_

Jenny

5/29/11

12:41 p.m.

I gasped. In front of me was a beautiful two story Cape-cod style house. The house had a second story deck off the side of it and a tiny garage too. We were on a cliff, and the sea was quiet below. Bordering the house was a wood that extended all the way to the horizon. It was beautiful. "Oh my god," I gasped again, realizing why we were here, "Is this _our _house? Is this were we are going to live?" Tonks nodded, a huge smile growing on her face. I turned to Lupin, expecting him to deny it, but I was mistaken. He was smiling too. "_Oh my god!"_ I exclaimed, giving Lupin a strong hug, then Tonks. "It's so beautiful!" I cried, looking back to the house with surprise.

"Come on, you haven't even seen the inside yet!" Tonks said brightly, pulling me up the stairs and inside. The kitchen was small but cozy, light blue in color, with wooden floor and white cabinets. Adjoining that room was the dining room, which had gold walls and a large wooden china cabinet built into the wall. That room then opened up to the living room, which also led to the main hallway downstairs. Tonks and Lupin's master bedroom was beautiful in teal, and Teddy's nursery almost made me cry. Upstairs was a large 'family room' for other uses, a spare bedroom, another bathroom, and my room. As soon as I walked inside, I loved it. Tonks had left it all white for me to splatter paint.

"God, it's so beautiful," I murmured, going out onto the second story deck off of the family room and looking at the view of the sea. I could barely believe that I was finally getting what I had always wanted.

"I'm glad you like it," Tonks said, taking Teddy and leaning against the railing. For a moment, the four of us just stood there in silence, admiring the view.

In the days that followed, Hermione and I splatter painted my room together. We made a day of it, and by the end of it, we were slightly sore and covered head to toe in brightly colored paint. We had even gotten the ceiling. It was basically the first thing we did together after the war, and it was a little emotional. Even though Hermione was staying with the Weasley's after modifying her parent's memories, she promised to visit often.

When the next full moon came, I rediscovered the connection Lupin and I forged at the battle for Hogwarts-the connection that let us hear each others thoughts. With some experimentation, we got Draco connected into it. With practice we could turn it on and off, but it made communicating between us much easier. Draco and I would run off together on those nights, and would spend the nights curled up in each other, occasionally checking in with Lupin. Draco was beautiful as a wolf- his hair was lighter than mine, so he was almost silver. He was also faster than me, but only because he was taller.

Then we went and visited Ollivander. Despite every test that he ran, nothing would help him understand why I could use a wand. Even trying to track down my parents led to no results-my small abilities would always remain a mystery. So, wary of my wand, I rarely used it, especially because if I started using it everyday, Mum and Dad (I loved saying that) would make me go to Hogwarts to learn how to use it properly…and that was the last thing I wanted. I had seen quite enough of Hogwarts. I was avoiding that place like the plague- it was where Brian was killed.

The secret of the Inbetween realm stayed within my family, Draco's, the Weasley's and the Order. I forced myself not to use the mirror as much as I wanted to. I still missed Brian. I missed him a lot. Every time I worked out I thought of him. No matter what, I would always blame myself for his death. On his birthday and the anniversary of his death I would always go back to my original neighborhood, to honor him. He didn't have a grave- he'd been cremated at Hogwarts and his ashes were added to a monument about the war I wouldn't dare mess with. Despite everyone's better judgment, I carried his mirror with me always.

Harry never shared what he had seen in the memories from his parents. He came up to me later and actually hugged me as a thank you. I didn't ask about it, and he didn't offer any explanations. We never spoke of it again.

As the years passed, Ron and Hermione tied the knot, then Harry and Ginny. Despite pressure from Draco's parents, we never married, and he never looked at any other girl. His loyalty to me was astounding, and I tried to be just as loyal back. Lupin and Tonks didn't really care if I married or not, and for that, I was immensely grateful.

Teddy didn't get the werewolf gene (amazingly) and grew up as a normal kid, excluding the Metamorphagus gene. It was cute how he'd always wait with Mum at the back door in the mornings, welcoming Dad and I home. We stayed close even when he went to Hogwarts, and we exchanged letters all the time.

Ironically, I got a job at the Ministry in the Justice Department. My job entailed cataloging evidence for criminal investigations, including memories.

Despite the Malfoy's begging, Draco and I had kids even though we weren't married. We had two, Arwen, the oldest, a girl, and Xavier, a boy.

Draco and I moved to a house back on the sea, where we were both _very_ happy.

**Thanks to everyone who read this story all the way through, especially PSay. I think you reviewed every chapter- thank you so much! Keep an eye out for other stories from me- I've got some in the works…**

**blackorchestrafreak**


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